PA/08/09 29 May 2009
Statement from the Premier of the State of Victoria, Australia, on his meeting with Indian High Commissioner and Consul General of India in Melbourne
The Premier John Brumby today met with the High Commissioner of India Sujatha Singh and Consul General of India Anita Nayar to discuss safety and security in Victoria’s Indian community.
Mr Brumby said discussions had centred on the safety and security of Victoria’s Indian student community and further measures that may be required to ensure their experience of living, studying and working in Victoria was a successful and enjoyable experience.
“It was a pleasure to meet Mrs Singh and Ms Nayar, and our discussions were very positive and productive,” Mr Brumby said.
“Our discussions were about safety and security within Victoria’s Indian community, including what measures our Government and police have in place to ensure safety and what further measures may be required to make sure that Victoria continues to be the first-choice destination for Indian students.
“It’s important to note that on the whole Victoria is a wonderful place for Indian students and we want every Indian student who comes to Victoria to have that experience.
“The vast majority of Victorians welcome Indian students to our state but we do recognise that there are some times and places where Indian students are more vulnerable and that’s a concern we’ve been working to resolve.
“We agree that while the overall rate of crime in Victoria is low compared to other jurisdictions, any incidence of crime or violence against a member of Victoria’s Indian community is one too many, completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated.
“We are a community built on the understanding that we may come from different and races, follow many faiths and different cultures – but we are all equal and our community is richer because of our multicultural make-up. Any attack on an individual because of race, culture, gender or appearance is disgraceful and unacceptable.”
Mr Brumby said attacking any individual is abhorrent to the values and principles that made Victoria among the world’s most successful multicultural communities.
“That’s why our Government introduced the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act and that’s why Victoria Police is working hard with our Indian community to tackle incidents of crime and violence,” he said.
“Last year our Government established an Overseas Student Experience Taskforce which examined a range of issues, including safety. The Taskforce released a report in late December that included a number of recommendations that the Government is closely examining.
“But we recognise that there is more that can be done and we will look at whether there needs to be changes to make it easier to access information or legislative changes to ensure penalties are matching the severity of a crime.
“With this in mind we will be announcing new measures in the near future to improve the overseas student experience, particularly with respect to safety.”
In addition, Victoria Police is also working to tackle issues together with the Indian community.
“Last year over 47,000 Indian students came to Victoria to study and it’s paramount that their educational experience and life experience in our state is positive, productive, safe and enjoyable and we are committed to working not only with the Indian community but with the whole community to achieve this goal,” Mr Brumby said.
For further details, contact Shekhar Nambiar, Senior Public Affairs Adviser on 9810154167/ 011-41494351