Priority to foreign students while Aussies stranded overseas

The government will prioritise international fee-paying students above thousands of Australians still stranded around the world.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham: ‘There is no taxpayer support for the airfares or quarantine costs international students.’ Picture: AAP

The Australian government will prioritise international fee-paying students above thousands of Australians who remain stranded in Europe, the US and in Middle East transit points.

In a pilot scheme, 300 students from China, Hong Kong and Japan will be flown on a charter flight from Singapore to Adelaide where they will undergo quarantine for two weeks ­before beginning their studies.

Students or the universities will pick up the tab.

But the move has angered Australians overseas who have been repeatedly bumped off commercial flights because of the government’s unique cap on international arrivals.

International airline carriers have been demanding returning Australians pay for expensive first- and business-class fares to try to get on to the few allowed seats on one of the few flights still flying into the country. Some flights carry as few as 30 Australians. The allowable weekly cap numbers are so low, even those willing to pay inflated fare prices cannot get home for weeks or months.

The first trial of a batch of international fee-paying students will take up 300 of the available 500-a-week quota ­spaces available in the current Adelaide quarantine numbers and arrive before September.

The Trade Minister, Simon Birmingham told The Australian: “My understanding is that the cap into South Australia has not been reached. There continues to be quarantine capacity for those who can get a flight into Adelaide. There is no taxpayer support for the airfares or quarantine costs international students will face.’’

But the problem is that Australians are struggling to get onto any flights into Adelaide because it is uneconomical to fly into the city under the cap program.

Last week thousands of Australians had their flights cancelled when the Australian government cap requirements were extended through to October 24. Other airlines are continuing to sell “ghost flights” that are then cancelled on the day of departure.

MJ Wamj told Senator Birmingham on Twitter: “I’m sorry Minister but this is wrong. Australians are stranded overseas, businesses are unable to trade and families are separated. If you can make it happen for Unis, how about making it happen for everyone else.’’

Australian universities, bracing for a $3bn coronavirus hit, are keen for the students to be able to come to Australia to study.

“We want to make sure that anything that happens in relation to international arrivals coming into Australia is done with the strictest of safety standards in place,” Senator Birmingham said.

“I also want to stress as well that no taxpayer dollars will be used in terms of supporting students flying into Australia or quarantining as is required.”