PLANS by the South Australian Government to fly 300 international students into the state to attend university, while banning Victorians, has been described as “disgraceful”.
Member for Mildura Ali Cupper said the government was prioritising money over the education of Australians and the move could not go unchallenged.
Ms Cupper said the move was another example of the devastating impacts of South Australia’s hard border closure.
“I have been contacted by families in the Mildura electorate who are absolutely distraught by this decision, with some students having to withdraw from courses because they will not be allowed back into the state,” she said.
“The South Australian Government, with backing from the Federal Government, is prioritising money over the lives and education of Australian families and it’s just disgraceful.
“By its very definition this is un-Australian and it certainly shows the term ‘we’re all in this together’ could not be further from the truth.”
Ms Cupper said students were arriving from Asia, although exact countries were not confirmed.
However, South Australian Health Minister Stephen Wade in a press conference on Monday mentioned Singapore and Hong Kong, which he said were low-risk countries.
“Singapore has nearly 4000 active cases, Hong Kong almost 1000, so it’s true to say they have low numbers and in reality they are low-risk countries,” Ms Cupper said.
“But the Mildura local government area has one — and that case has been widely reported as being contracted in Melbourne and the person remains isolating in Melbourne.
“The number of active cases in regional Victoria continues to fall, as does the number of cases in Victorian border LGAs, where there are currently eight, including the Mildura case.
“If international students can be safely flown into South Australia and quarantined, surely the risk posed from students in Mildura is minuscule, almost non-existent, and the same quarantine arrangements could be made for them.”
Ms Cupper said the South Australian Government’s decision was being widely panned in border communities, which would be cut off from each other from Friday when tighter restrictions were implemented.
“The Marshall Government thinks every time it tightens its borders it gains popularity, but the decision to allow international students over Victorians has been condemned even in his state with 80 per cent of respondents to a South Australian media poll opposing the decision,” she said.
