Attacks against international students in Australia are disturbing and should sound alarm bells for the Australian community about the life threatening extremes to which racial prejudice can extend, Race Discrimination Commissioner Tom Calma said today.

Commissioner Calma said he was appalled by reports of the cowardly and violent acts that have been perpetrated, most recently, on international students from India.

“Racism is ugly and unacceptable in any form, but when it is takes the form of violence, it not only injures innocent individuals who have the right to feel safe in Australia, it also injures the nation’s international reputation,” Commissioner Calma said.

“I urge the Australian Government, the Opposition and minor parties to work diligently to develop a national action plan to combat racism. Anti-racism strategies are an investment, not an expense,” Commissioner Calma said.

Mr Calma said the incidents revealed a disturbing level of antagonism directed towards international students.

“I welcome the condemnation by Australian universities of the attacks in Melbourne and the effort by those universities concerned to ensure the safety of international students. These are important initial responses to this mounting problem,” he said.

“As Race Discrimination Commissioner, I’m very concerned about the racial nature of these attacks. Apart from the immediate harm done to the victims, the attacks have broader implications for international students as well as Australian students from diverse backgrounds participating in Australia's tertiary education programs.”

Commissioner Calma said the Australian Human Rights Commission had received anecdotal information over the last four years about increasing levels of hostility towards international students. He said the issue had been raised late last year at the annual meeting of the Australia/New Zealand Race Relations Roundtable (a meeting of all race discrimination commissioners in Australia and New Zealand to develop collaborative human rights approaches regarding race-related issues).

“The New Zealand Human Rights Commission is engaged in a partnership with the University of Canterbury in conducting the Safer Students Campaign and I strongly urge Australian universities to consider replicating this initiative,” Commissioner Calma said.

“The Australian Human Rights Commission has worked with a variety of institutions to develop their capacity in dealing with racial discrimination and vilification and will continue to work with relevant organisations to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of international and domestic students is guaranteed,” he said.

Media contact: Louise McDermott (02) 9284 9851 or 0419 258 597