Racism traumatising international students, hindering employment

The declining international student intake in Tasmania, which has ramifications for the regional economy and solutions to skills shortages, was discussed at a hearing for the House of Representatives inquiry into the international student and tourism sector in Launceston on Wednesday.

AMC student Ya-Wen Chang, originally from Malaysia, told the committee that racism and discrimination were not unique to Australia, but the extent of it varied between stations.

"For some of my friends and me, sometimes we get traumatised to the extent that it has discouraged us from working or even staying here in Australia," she said.

"We do have some friends who just graduated and went back to Malaysia because of the racism that they encounter here.

"They do agree that there are a lot of friendly people and sweet locals here, but some of the racism events are just too traumatising for people, and it's actually discouraging international students from coming into Australia to study."

University of Tasmania deputy vice-chancellor Ian Anderson said the university had experienced a significant decline in revenue from international students from $135 million in 2019 to $75 million this year due to lower intake numbers.

He said this, in turn, impacted regional economies and demand in industry sectors.

Professor Anderson said visa-processing changes last year had further incentivised students to enrol at one of the five main metropolitan universities.

"Our broader term strategy is that we need to have a basis for bringing international students who can actually contribute to the Tasmanian economy," he said.

"We don't probably need more accountants in Tasmania, but we do need more health care professionals."