International students score major discrimination win against the NSW Government
24th March 2006
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Three Vice-Chancellors welcomed a major win yesterday as the NSW Government policy preventing international students from obtaining travel concessions on state transport was found to be discriminatory.
Thanking student representative bodies for their support, the Vice-Chancellors of the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology welcomed the finding which will now enable international students to enjoy the same concessions as domestic students on the State’s buses, trains and ferries.
The decision handed down by the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal against the NSW Minister for Transport, the Hon John Watkins MP, the State Rail Authority and the State Transit Authority, found that the NSW government, by denying concessions to international students, is in breach of its own anti-discrimination laws (see link to decision below).
More than 50,000 international students study in NSW, contributing well over $1 billion to the state economy each year.
In a joint statement, the three Vice-Chancellors, said: "Sydney prides itself as a key international destination for students. We welcome them by their thousands and they make enormous economic and social contributions to the city and state. Travel concessions will help to make living in Sydney a bit easier as well as strengthen the attraction of Sydney and NSW as a first choice destination for international students."
Welcoming the decision, Jenny Leong, President of the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA), said: "SUPRA has been involved in this matter for over four years and today we are celebrating the decision as a vindication of our long held concerns."
The full NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal decision can be found at: http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/adtjudgments/2006nswadt.nsf/WebViewall
Thanking student representative bodies for their support, the Vice-Chancellors of the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology welcomed the finding which will now enable international students to enjoy the same concessions as domestic students on the State’s buses, trains and ferries.
The decision handed down by the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal against the NSW Minister for Transport, the Hon John Watkins MP, the State Rail Authority and the State Transit Authority, found that the NSW government, by denying concessions to international students, is in breach of its own anti-discrimination laws (see link to decision below).
More than 50,000 international students study in NSW, contributing well over $1 billion to the state economy each year.
In a joint statement, the three Vice-Chancellors, said: "Sydney prides itself as a key international destination for students. We welcome them by their thousands and they make enormous economic and social contributions to the city and state. Travel concessions will help to make living in Sydney a bit easier as well as strengthen the attraction of Sydney and NSW as a first choice destination for international students."
Welcoming the decision, Jenny Leong, President of the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA), said: "SUPRA has been involved in this matter for over four years and today we are celebrating the decision as a vindication of our long held concerns."
The full NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal decision can be found at: http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/adtjudgments/2006nswadt.nsf/WebViewall
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