We all know that being a student doesn’t usually mean that you’re well-off. In fact, while you’re a student you’re probably hardly managing your money because you’ve got studies to do and not much time left to get a full-time job.
And the Government understands that. Yeah, they do. Except for when it comes to international students. Except in NSW.
And why should international students get concession cards? It’s not like they pay heaps more in tuition fees, have to pay ridiculously high rent because they’ve got no one to stay with for free or are doing the exact same course a domestic student is. It’s also not like they are being taxed just the same as any other Australian employee. Also, of course they don’t have any work limitations either, so they could just work a bit harder.
In case this wasn’t exaggerated enough: None information from the above paragraph is correct. International students DO pay much higher tuition fees, they ARE doing the same course as an Australian, they ARE paying the same tax and have to survive on only 20 hours of work per week.
So, while an Australian student pays let’s say $3 dollars for a trip, the very same trip for a student studying the very same course at the very same University, will simply pay $6. Sounds about right?
International Students have had enough of that ‘transport discrimination’ and have chosen to protest it. NSW Greens MP, Jenny Long agrees: “This is something that’s got to change, it’s something that cannot be explained as anything other than a form of discrimination and it must end”.
Petition
Over 1000 international students submitted a petition during Tuesday’s protest event to Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi.
The New South Wales Transport Minister’s offices have been contacted an students are awaiting a response.
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