Passengers on Melbourne trams. Photo by Lorraine Phelan.
Victoria should be in line
Under Victorian legislation, domestic students are entitled to concession fares when using public transport, where as full-fee-paying international students are not.
Every state in Australia has granted international students with concession entitlements except for Victoria. Sydney’s new travel discount for international students fought by students’ associations can help each of them save $800 a year. However, Victoria has instead increased the fare of taking public transport.
International students at risk
There is a huge concern for international students as many of them struggle financially to live up to the high cost of living in Australia. Many students end up walking home to save cost on transport, even late at night, putting themselves at risks of danger.
Malaysian international student of Monash University Brandon Cho, who currently lives in Southbank, has to take the train and tram to attend classes every day. Paying a full daily fare has definitely been a huge burden for the 20-year-old, on top of the costly food and accommodation.
“Transportation is costly but it is something we students can’t escape. I think sometimes, students would skip classes just to avoid paying so much to travel. The cost of public transport can actually promote bad behavior,” Cho explained.
Walking along the streets is not a pleasant experience for Cho.
“Melbourne is filled with drunk people, especially once it gets dark, and you never really know what they would do. It is extremely dangerous for us to walk alone at night to save on the hefty cost of public transport.”
NUS fights for concession rights
The founder of Proud To Be International Students organisation and the ethno-cultural officer of National Union of Students Victoria, Joshua Tang, 26, started a Fair’s Fare campaign with his partner in February last month to fight for international students’ concession rights.
This issue was first raised at the Australian Young Labor Conference 2013 in Canberra, where Tang’s speech received support from the Young Labor Party.
“We aim to raise awareness among domestic and international students about Victoria being the only state in Australia that doesn’t give international students concession entitlement,” he said.
“Right now, our main objective is to grow this campaign into a 400-key-volunteer campaign across the ten campuses in Victoria.”
Fair’s fair
Tang said he strongly supports this cause, as he believes international students should be treated equally and fairly.
“It’s not a problem with the Australian government, but a problem with our state government,” he stated.
“Victoria being the only state in excluding international students from concession entitlements is discriminatory, un-Australian and against the spirit of fair go.”
Tang and his partner will continue fighting for the rights of international students through various efforts. People who think international students deserve to be treated equally can learn more about them and volunteer in the Fair’s Fare campaign through their Facebook page.
If you are a student and you are unsure if you are eligible for a concession card, you can check the Myki website.
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