High-level Australian delegation meets Indian officials in New Delhi

New Delhi News.Net
Monday 6th July, 2009 (ANI)

New Delhi, July 6 : A visiting high-level Australian delegation led by Colin Walters, Group Manager, International Group, Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations met various Indian officials in the national capital on Monday.

The meet was aimed at strengthening the Australia-India Education relations and to outline steps that would ensure safety of Indian students pursuing higher studies in Australia.

Addressing media persons, the leader of the delegation, Colin Walters assured that measures were being taken to stop the incidents of racial attacks on students from abroad, specially those from India.

"The government has zero tolerance for attacks on any students including Indian students and we want to do everything we can to stop that happening. The police have stepped up their measures. They have stepped up covert surveillance and all sorts of measures to patrol around stations and places where students congregate and are liable to perhaps to have an unfortunate experience and that seems to be having an effect," said Colin Walters.

Colin further noted that Australian Government had taken up initiative to set up roundtable for International students so that they could directly convey their opinions to the government.

"We are looking at all the other issues which have been raised by the students and our Prime Minister and the heads of our state governments agreed on a resolution so as to set up a national strategy for international students and that's going to look at the aspects of quality of education and that's going to look at the aspects how they interrelate to the host community; the host communities because we are multi-racial society. We are also going to have international students roundtable so the students themselves can provide their comments directly to the government," said Colin Walters.

The visiting Australian delegation will also visit certain other important cities such as Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Kolkata.

Australians have drawn flak in Indian media after a series of attacks on students in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide in the recent past.

Reportedly, over 1,400 students and other immigrants have been victims of racial abuse Down Under.

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