Australian universities concerned about impact of Trump’s travel ban

Australian universities are concerned about the impact of Trump’s ban on student, academic and researcher travel.

Australia Chief Executive Belinda Robinson said Australia and the US had a proud tradition of student and staff exchanges on a large scale.

Australian universities are concerned about the impact of US President Donald Trump’s travel ban on student, academic and researcher travel between Australia and the United States.

Universities Australia Chief Executive Belinda Robinson said Australia and the US had longstanding ties between university sectors and a proud tradition of student and staff exchanges on a large scale, and she was concerned about the impact the ban may have on those who are dual nationals of the seven Muslim-majority countries from which travel has been banned.

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“If brilliant scholars from the seven countries named in the executive order are based in the US and visit Australia to collaborate on research, they would not be able to return to the US,” she said.

“The ban has the potential to adversely affect research collaboration, academic conference participation, student exchange programs and postdoctoral work.”

More than 7000 US faculty members and 37 Nobel Laureates have signed a petition voicing concern and urging US President Donald Trump to reconsider the executive order on immigration.

The Association of American Universities has also called for its reversal, saying that the ban threatens to cause “irreparable damage” to the academic reputation of the United States.

Universities Canada expressed its concern in a statement issued last night.

Australian National University Vice Chancellor and Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt also expressed concern.

“We have many people from these countries, and so it just makes the ability to do business as usual within research and academia very difficult,” he told ABC radio.

The immigration ban could effect more than 100,000 Australians who hold dual citizenship with the seven countries.

However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said he wasn’t aware of any Australians who had been stopped from travelling to the United States.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has asked Australian officials in Washington to lobby the US Administration to exempt Australian dual nationals from the changes.