New Delhi, Nov 28 Expressing the Anthony Albanese-led government’s longstanding support for continued migration and having a multicultural Australia, the country’s High Commissioner to India, Philip Green has said that Canberra has worked hard on ensuring the safety and welfare of Indian students.
In an interview with IANS, Green also expressed Canberra’s intent to strengthen academic collaboration with India while citing the scholarship offerings for Indian students by several Australian universities.
When asked about steps being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of Indian students in Australia, Green responded, “We worked very hard on this. As you may know, Australia is one of the safest countries on Earth, and we are proud of that. We want all visitors to our country, be they Indian or be they from other countries, indeed our own people to be safe and we have a very strong and effective police force, a border force, and a very effective security intelligence agencies. We also want to make sure that Indian visitors to our country feel welcome.”
Earlier this year, ‘March for Australia’ protests were held Down Under with thousands of people participating in rallies in major Australian cities and regional centres, carrying flags and demanding an end to what they termed as “mass migration” into Australia.
“Now, like in many countries, in Australia there have been protests, rather loud, small numbers of people who are protesting against immigration and against multiculturalism. What I want you and your viewers to know is that our government has very clearly come out and said that we stand for continued migration into Australia in a way that is sustainable and we very much stand for a multicultural Australia in which people, wherever they come from the world, feel safe and welcome and are indeed celebrated in our society,” Green told IANS.
On new scholarship opportunities and academic collaboration plans with the Indian institutions, the Australian diplomat emphasised: “There’s a lot. So, many Australian universities have scholarship offerings for Indian students. And what is new is the Australian government is now providing around 15 scholarships to students at the PhD level. This is particularly focused in STEM, so science and technology is very much foregrounded here. We want to strengthen our partnership in that field and these scholarships are a way that really high-level scholars in India can study in Australia and upgrade their skills.”
Earlier in September, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India was in touch with the Australian government and various diaspora organisations over the recent anti-immigrant protests that took place in the country.
While addressing a media briefing on September 5, Jaiswal stated that the Indian High Commission in Australia had shared concerns raised by Indian community members with the Australian government before the protests. The High Commission had received a formal response from the Australian side, where they acknowledged that the protests were of concern for diverse communities in Australia.
When asked about the anti-immigration protests in Australia and singling out of Indians, the MEA spokesperson had responded, “We all are aware that anti-immigrant protests happened in several cities in Australia on 31st of August. Our High Commissioner and Consulate Generals in Australia, they were in regular touch with the Australian Government as also with our community members in this regard. As you know that we have a large diaspora in Australia, almost about a million. Before the protests took place, our High Commission conveyed whatever concerns that were shared with them by the Indian community members to the Australian government. In response, we actually received a formal response from the Australian side, where they acknowledged that the protests in Australia may be of concern for Australia’s diverse communities.”
“At the same time, we would have seen that senior leaders and politicians, both from the Australian government side and also from the opposition side, they have issued statements supporting the multicultural identity of Australia. They’ve also recognised the role played by the Indian Australian community in the overall progress and development of Australia and they appreciate and acknowledge this role very much. On our side, we continue to firmly believe that diversity is strength. We value a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia of which our people-to-people ties are a very important element and in fact it bolsters our strategic ties and the Government of India remains committed to securing the welfare and well-being of all Indians abroad and we are in touch with the Australian Government as also with the diaspora organisation in Australia in regard to developments which are happening,” he added.
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