Press Conference
High Commissioner Mr Peter Varghese
6 January 2010
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and thank you very much for coming to this media conference. I have a few opening remarks that I would like to make and then I would be very happy to try and answer any questions that you might have. I basically just wanted to cover some aspects of the issue which has been running hot in the media and in particular to correct some of the inaccuracies, which in my view have unfortunately featured in some of the reporting of this event.
I want to say at the outset that the killing of Mr Garg is something which has distressed Australians. We condemn it. It was a vicious and callous act and our sympathies and condolences go out to his family at this very difficult time. In any circumstance, it is hard to lose a son. To do so in a distant land is doubly painful. I spoke to the family on Monday to convey my personal condolences and that of the government, and to offer any assistance which we can provide. We are now working very closely with the Consulate-General in Melbourne to arrange for the repatriation of Mr Garg’s body.
Our focus now is very much on the police investigation. We want to see the perpetrator or the perpetrators of this criminal act caught and we want them brought to justice. We must let the police and the criminal justice system do their work. Can I just say that over the last year, we have seen that these processes do work. In Victoria, we have had 33 arrests related to attacks on Indian nationals, including students. We have seen the Australian court system deal with these cases with appropriate severity, including in one case, a jail term of 18 years.
Let me now turn to some matters about which, in my view, the record needs to be corrected.
First, it is not the case that our Acting Foreign Minister, Mr Simon Crean, has characterised the Indian reaction as hysterical. He did no such thing. His comments are available in full for all of you to read on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. You will not find the word hysterical in any part of that transcript. He was simply making the point that these issues need to be dealt with in a measured way and I would hope that no one would want to make the contrary point.
Second, it is not correct, as some media reports have suggested that the Victorian police has reduced its policing of crime hot-spots. In fact, the reverse is the case. Policing resources in Melbourne have been increased in those areas where Indian students have been attacked.
Third, I would caution against assuming that the discovery of a burnt body in Griffith in New South Wales, subsequently identified as an Indian national, is a racially motivated murder. Here again, let us see what the policed investigation concludes before we jump to conclusions.
Just in relation to the connection between attacks and racism, can I draw to your attention a press release which was issued by the Federation of Indian Associations in Victoria. This is an on-the-ground Indian community perspective, and we will be able to share copies with you if you are interested. I just want to quote one sentence from that press release issued by the Federation in Victoria. It says that they want to reassure Indian nationals that Melbourne continues to be a safe and tolerant city and that any attack against an Indian national should not automatically be assumed to be a racist attack. I think that is a point worth making.
Finally, let me say this. Australia takes these attacks seriously. We are taking measures to address the problem. We have increased police resources. We have given police wider powers to search for weapons. We have changed the law to allow for tougher penalties for hate crimes and we are ensuring that more is being done to brief Indian students before they leave for Australia and after they arrive in Australia on what it is to live in Australia and what steps they should take. These are not the actions of a government which is in denial as some would have you believe.
I will end my comments there and I am happy to take questions.
Question: (inaudible)…is it your assessment that the Indian government has over-reacted… (inaudible)
High Commissioner: No, it is not my assessment that the Indian government has over-reacted. I think the Indian Government reaction has been measured and I think it has been perfectly understandable. This is an issue which has attracted understandably widespread attention in India and it is an issue that is of concern to the Indian government as it is of concern to the Australian government. I have already outlined the steps that we are taking to give expression to that concern.
Question: These attacks have been happening since May 2009. There have been various measures by the Australian government… (Inaudible)…police operations in Victoria…Do you think these measures are simply not enough? Do you think much more needs to be done as these attacks are just not stopping?
High Commissioner: These measures are designed to address the problem. They are not measures which will completely eliminate the problem. To completely eliminate the problem, we would have to abolish crime in Australia and I do not think that is a realistic objective and nor do I think it would be credible if the Australian Government was to say that it is in a position to do so. No government in the world is in a position to abolish crime. We have introduced these measures because we hope that they will have an effect. We hope that they will improve the law enforcement environment in Australia and we hope that the actions of arrests and the sentencing of the courts will act as a deterrent. We will continue to pursue those measures in the hope that these incidents are reduced to an absolute minimum.
Question: The number of student applicants has declined this year ..... How would you react…(inaudible)
High Commissioner: I am expecting a decline in the number of students in 2010. I think there are probably going to be a number of factors behind that. The global economic crisis may be one. The exchange rate of the Australian dollar may be another. I think the cost of living in Australia may be another one. And I would certainly accept that perceptions of safety among prospective students, and particularly among the parents of prospective students, might well deter some from applying to Australia.
But let me say this. We are not in the numbers game when it comes to students. We do not work to try and get as many students to Australia as possible at any cost. What we want to do is to provide a quality education to those international students who are interested in coming to Australia. We will take all the measures that we think are necessary. We have been taking additional measures in relation to improving the quality of institutions and the quality of the environment for students in Australia.
If the numbers drop, they drop. But I have every confidence that the long-term education relationship between Australia and India will be a strong and positive one. It will be one which essentially reflects the fact that India has an ambitious agenda to upgrade the skills of the Indian workforce and Australia is in a position in some niche areas to assist and to participate with India on that agenda. I think that is a good basis for a long-term education relation.
Question: Excellency, considering that it is not realistic to expect crime to be completely abolished, but at the same time, if you look at the statistics from 2008 to 2009, the number of attacks on Indians or people of Indian origin have gone up from some 15 or 16 to more that 100 in just one year. There should be some explanation for that. How would you look at that?
High Commissioner: It is the case that the numbers of attacks have gone up and I think that is very regrettable. The numbers of Indian students, of course, in Australia have also gone up very fast. We have gone from about 30,000 to about 100,000 in a space of three or four years. I am not denying that the number of attacks have increased. I think that is quite clearly the case. You hear a lot of different statistics and I am not in a position to give you any authoritative statistics. Although I would point out that in response to a parliamentary question, the Indian government itself recorded 105 incidents. That is much less that the thousands that are referred to in some other media reports or even five a day, which was one of the statistics I heard more recently.
So, what are we dealing with here? We are dealing with an increased number of Indian students, we are dealing regrettably with an increased number of criminal incidents in some cities in Australia. I am not seeking to walk away from that.
Question: There have been continues denials as far as the racism angle to these attacks are concerned. Could you analyse for us what could be the possible reason for the rise in these attacks. Also, is it true that the patrolling that we saw following the pressure from the Indian government- has been decreased leading to these fresh attacks?
High Commissioner: On the second point, let me say and I mentioned it in my introductory remarks- that report is wrong. There has been no decrease in the policing resources by the Victorian police. Let me just make that absolutely clear. It is not correct.
On the motivations behind these attacks, this is not a simple issue that lends itself to a 10-second grab. I would reiterate the quote that came out of that press statement by the Victorian Federation of Indian Communities which is- do not assume that every time an Indian national, or a person of Indian origin is the victim of violence, that the attack is a racist attack. I think that is a very important point to make. We have never denied that there has never been a racial element to any of these attacks in Australia. The great majority of attacks involving Indian nationals or people of Indian origin have been opportunistic, urban crime- the great majority of them. There have been some cases where the motivation would appear on the face to it to be racial. Particularly where the attackers have been engaged in hurling racial abuse. But let us keep this in perspective and let us not assume that every time an Indian is involved in an incident, it is a matter of racism.
Question: You spoke about the Government reaction being measured. But what about the media reaction? Yesterday, the Mail Today newspaper published a cartoon depicting an Australian police officer as a member of the Ku Klux clan. Has the media reaction been less measured than the government reaction?
High Commissioner: The Indian media is a wonderfully diverse beast, if I could put it that way. The Indian media coverage has been mixed. Some of it has been responsible, balanced and factual. Other parts of the Indian media have exaggerated the story and have conveyed a misleading impression of what is happening on the ground and what is happening in Australia. I consider part of my job to provide context, background and facts where I can so that the overall understanding of this issue is as balanced as possible.
Question: Would you be willing to discuss with the Indian government a minimum benchmark such as a graduation certificate for people going to Australia?
High Commissioner: A graduation certificate?
Question: Benchmark, so that there are no economic refugees masquerading as students.
High Commissioner: Our whole education policy is based on having international students who are in Australia primarily to study. That is the reason why we require of students a minimum amount of money which is earmarked to cover their cost of living. A requirement which currently stands at 18,000 Australian dollars a year. We allow students to work in Australia for 20 hours a week as a supplement to their cost of living, not as a sole provider for their cost of living. They are the ground rules for education in Australia and they are appropriate ground rules. If they, properly implemented, they would cover the point that you are raising.
Question: Mr Varghese, what do you make of the advisory the Indian government has issued for the students?
High Commissioner: Travel advisories, student advisories- these are matters for the initiating government. I have no difficulty with the advisory that was issued last night. It reflects the Indian government’s judgement about the environment in Australia and it provides advice to its own citizens about steps they may wish to consider taking. Many countries in the world issue advisories, including Australia. I think it would be quite inappropriate of me to take issue with the Indian government also doing it.
Question: Would you consider it a failure on the part of the Australian government to not provide adequate security to the students there?
High Commissioner: Governments have a responsibility to do what they can to provide a safe and secure environment for everyone living in the country. We believe that we are doing that to the best of our ability and we have implemented additional measures to ensure that we can deal with the problems that are currently the subject of discussion in India. So unless you were to take as your benchmark that one criminal act is a failure, I do not think I would accept the premise of the question.
Question: Has the failure been further back in that the student market has grown so rapidly as you are saying from 30,000 up to 100,000 students. Were enough resources not put in those at those early stages so that we did not have Indian students living in areas with high crime, limited public transport, having to travel at night to reach jobs and so on? If there had been proper student housing, would that have solved the security issue?
High Commissioner: Sally, my job is to focus on the present and to prepare for the future. I have outlined the measures that we are taking to try and deal with the issue we are confronting, both in terms of attacks on Indian students and also in terms of changes we are making to our registration process for educational institutions. I really do not trawl back over the past and try and discern where things may or may not have gone wrong or done better.
Question: I cannot quite fathom why Australians are so determined towards this idea that these could be, or probably are, racist attacks. What is the reason for that? Apart from the fact that this might hurt Australia’s self image. I cannot see why it is so difficult to say that is probably the case?
High Commissioner: With respect, I do not think we are refusing to admit something, if that is where the evidence takes you. The point I am making is, reach a conclusion after the evidence is in. In this particular case, we simply do not know who did this. If you do not know who did it, it is very hard to know why he or she did it. It is not an in-principle refusal to admit it.
Question: the evidence gathered over the past… (inaudible)…that evidence gathered over those cases…what does that amount to?
High Commissioner: As I said, what it amounts to is this. The vast majority of cases have been examples of opportunistic urban crime. In some cases, a small minority of cases, there would appear to be some racial motivation. And if that is the case, obviously, we would recognise it for what it is.
Question: Australian immigration and citizenship department data suggests that last year, from July1 to October 31, you declined 33 per cent visas applied for because of fake documents. Have you found any case where the student migrated or gone for study on fake documents.
High Commissioner: We, as a matter of course, conduct checks on visa applications to ensure that the paper work is in order and that the documentation is legitimate. As part of a broader program to ensure the integrity of our visa system, and this goes beyond India and involves other countries as well, we have strengthened the scrutiny that we have been applying to student visa applications from India and it is the case that we have discovered in that process that there is a reasonably high level of document fraud. Where we come across document fraud, then obviously that is going to influence our decision on whether a visa will be given or not given. So it is the case that the rates of rejection of visa applicants from India have increased, if you compare the numbers for the last six months, for example, with the previous year’s numbers. The reason is that our checking has brought to light a higher rate of fraudulent documentation.
Question: Why are these attacks directed only against Indian students and not students from other countries?
High Commissioner: I am not sure that that is the case, with respect that attacks are only against Indian students. It goes back to my broader point about many of these instances. Most of these instances being cases of opportunistic urban crime. I cannot give you chapter and verse on the nationality of victims, in part because our law enforcement system does not collect statistics in that way. This idea that Indian students are the only people that are victims of crime in Australia, with respect, I think is quite inaccurate.
Question: When you took over, I remember you telling us that the Australian government was in the process of carrying out an audit on some of these dodgy educational institutions, especially the vocational sector. How far has that gone?
High Commissioner: That is proceeding. We have done several things. Some of the state governments have conducted rapid audits which means that they have gone back and reviewed whether education institutions are meeting their criteria. In some cases they have determined that they have not been meeting their criteria and those institutions have been or will be closed.
Secondly, we have introduced legislation into the parliament to toughen up the criteria that applies to particularly, private vocational education institutions. That means in the future for those institutions to receive accreditation, they will need to meet a tougher set of requirements. All of that reflects a commitment on our part to ensure that when an institution offers a course to students, Australia or international that they are in a position to deliver on their offer. That they have the resources, qualifications and the facilities to provide quality education. And if they don’t, they will be closed.
Thank you so much.