Federal government’s foreign student visa plan a win for common sense

After months of pleas, the Commonwealth has come to the party and made sure at least some of the Territory’s required seasonal workers can do more ahead of a bumper Dry.

IT should’ve been a no-brainer but it was only because of the tireless campaigning of two leading Territory organisations that local businesses and foreign students will be given a boost this bumper Dry.

Foreign students will no longer be limited to just 40 hours a fortnight of work, and students whose visas are running out can apply for a COVID-19 visa if they find a job in tourism and hospitality.

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Simple changes, sure, but only brought to the attention of the federal government due to the relentlessness of Tourism Top End and Hospitality NT.

Upon the arrival of Prime Minister Scott Morrison into Darwin, federal appetite for such changes was small.

But the two organisations, with the help of Senator Sam McMahon, put the issue at the top of ScoMo’s agenda, as did dozens of businesses.

Now, two days before the much anticipated 2021-22 federal budget, the changes have been announced.

The hospitality and tourism industries have been thrown a lifeline with the new visa plan, as have international students. Picture: iStock

This will allow international students already employed to roster themselves on for more hours in tourism and hospitality venues, while simultaneously meaning businesses don’t need to find so many staff for the dry season.

Many foreign students have struggled through the pandemic, given their families back home haven’t been as able to provide financial support as they were pre-COVID.

The changes will go some ways to fixing the issue, but of course they won’t make up the shortfall.

The package to lure more workers from southern states up north, revealed by the Northern Territory government in this week’s budget, will also help.

But it would be naive to assume all these measures put together will cover all the shortfall. Hopefully Josh Frydenberg includes even more goodies for our pandemic-stricken tourism businesses this coming Tuesday night.

But on the face of it, both Tourism Top End and Hospitality NT have a lot to be proud of. Thanks to them, not only is our dry season saved, but also our international students have got a financial lifeline as well.

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