Footage of a long queue of hundreds of international students lining up for free food at Monash University in Melbourne has sparked fury from everyday Aussies.
Foodbank Victoria says foreign students are experiencing “food insecurity”, with only 5% of students getting their recommended daily servings of vegetables, and has been handing out free fresh produce at pop-up markets on six university campuses in response.
Katie Fisher, Foodbank Victoria commercial officer, told SBS News “we’ve never seen a line this long before, so it’s really reflective of the demand with this cohort that they’re coming to line up for vegetables”.
Students in the queue told the program they were struggling due to visa work conditions and rising prices, and Ms Fisher said the food drive was to make sure international students weren’t “going home to eat 2-minute noodles every night”.
But many Australians responded to the story with anger and disbelief, with many asking why students who couldn’t afford food were being allowed into the country, and saying the charity should be looking after locals.
“Shouldn’t the international student already being capable of supporting themselves?” asked one social media user.
“International students are meant to provide the financials on their visa application that they can support themselves here before they come to Australia, if not, their visas are always refused by Border Force, so there’s no excuse for them to be at those booths,” said another.
“So many international students are here on specific visas, if they’re not really based in Victoria, maybe the handouts should prioritise locals struggling with costs,” a third wrote.
“Just imagine if the Australian government and Australian organisations looked after Australian citizens first,” another said.
According to the latest Department of Education data, for the year to January, there are 551,717 international students in Australia, including 125,647 from China, 91,203 from India, and 51,538 from Nepal.
The department notes January data should be “interpreted with caution as most higher education and vocational education and training (VET) commencements for first semester typically take place in March each year”.
To obtain a student visa applicants are required to provide evidence of financial capacity, which can include providing proof of deposits, loans, or scholarships or similar support, and have enough money to pay for travel, 12 months of course fees, and 12 months of living costs.
Header image: Left, right, the queue at Monash (SBS News).
The post Fury at huge line of international students at Foodbank in Melbourne first appeared on The Noticer.
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