Plan to bring 300 overseas students back to SA waiting for PM’s sign off
A trial program to return 300 international uni students to Adelaide is on hold until the Prime Minister talks to the National Cabinet about caps on overseas arrivals.
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A plan to bring 300 international students back to South Australia has been put on ice by Scott Morrison until he holds National Cabinet talks with state premiers about border bans and Australia’s cap on overseas arrivals.
The Prime Minister will also push states to open their borders by Christmas so Australians can see their families.
Political leaders are expected to review the 4000 per week cap on international arrivals on Friday, after concerns about Aussies stuck overseas having to pay for business-class tickets or facing long delays to get home.
Federal Government sources indicated Mr Morrison was likely to wait until after the talks on the arrivals cap before he considered approving SA’s trial to fly overseas students back from Singapore to study in Adelaide.
The cap was imposed in July amid concerns about hotel quarantine capacity in other states, and as Victoria’s virus outbreak worsened.
A State Government spokeswoman confirmed SA was “ready to go with the pilot” but was awaiting the green light from Canberra.
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan saidstate premiers would be expected to “ensure that no international students take the place of Australians returning from overseas”.
Mr Morrison is also expected to push for a new approach to borders on Friday which would see states only restrict movements to and from “hot spot zones”, rather than full border closures.
“By Christmas, we should aim for Australians to be able to go to work, to be able to be with their family at Christmas, and to return to visit their friends and to look forward to a positive 2021,” he told parliament on Tuesday.
“We cannot resign Australia to being a dislocated nation under COVID-19.” He will urge states to return to the roadmap to reopen Australia that was set by National Cabinet in May, before Victoria’s second wave.
Premier Steven Marshall last month announced that SA’s proposal to bring up to 300 students back to Adelaide via Singapore had met the Federal Government’s health and safety requirements but logistics were being finalised.
The trial has been controversial in SA and interstate, with polls showing most South Australians oppose the plan while locals have family or friends overseas or interstate who can’t – or aren’t – allowed to come home.
But the State Government and international education sector have argued it is important to prove the concept of “secure corridors” and to help maintain the sector, which is worth about $2 billion to SA each year.
Cindi Du, who has been stranded in Shanghai, said it was her “biggest hope” she could return to Adelaide and complete her degree.
While aware of the plans for a pilot flight, she had yet to receive details of who could apply to be aboard.
“I hope I can be on one of the flights,” she said.
Among her many friends in Adelaide is Ashley Wang, who has graduated in social work and is now studying Korean at UniSA. “We miss our friends,” Ms Wang said. “As long as they quarantine in a hotel and do the proper tests, I’ll feel quite safe.”
International Education Association of Australia boss Phil Honeywood said the delay on the trial appeared to be due to issues around border restrictions and the arrivals cap.