Wednesday, March 30, 2011
MELBOURNE: An Indian-origin model has accused an Australian modelling agency of racial discrimination as she is not a Caucasian, media here reported.
After living and working as a model in the UK for two years, Rajandran e-mailed a short biography and photos to Chadwick Models in Perth recently, and was "truly disheartened" at the response she received a short time later.
"We think you are very photogenic and would be suitable for our Casting Division," the email from the academy coordinator read. "Please note however that as you are of non-caucasian heritage that your work opportunities in Perth would be extremely [sic] limited."
Rajandran said given the "extremely multicultural society of Australia", she was shocked at the response, and hoped that by her speaking out about it, the practice of culling models based solely on their appearance would change.
However, Chadwick's Perth manager Tanya Muia said she was "gob-smacked" that the agency could be labelled as racially discriminating against Rajandran, and that they were simply relaying her chances of finding work in a tight Perth modelling market.
"This is just ridiculous. I don't see that this is race related," Muia said. "If we don't feel that she's going to secure work in the Perth market... then we tell [her] about it. We have the liberty to give an honest opinion."
Muia said Chadwicks, along with other modelling agencies, provided models based on industry demand and that as such had no control over the "looks" chosen for various campaigns.
"We are not discriminating in any way. We represent every culture out there," she said. "There is a bigger picture here other than just that one line, and yes, we will be changing it. But we have worded it (the standard email response) that way for 10 years. We've never had a complaint."
Equal Opportunity Commissioner Yvonne Henderson said while she could not comment specifically on Rajandran's case, it is illegal for an employer to discriminate against an employee either at the workplace or in the recruitment process, based on their race.
She said there are some exemptions in the case of artistic performance, however did not believe that modelling agencies would fit into this category.
Rajandran said she was extremely disappointed to learn that her Indian appearance would hinder her employment opportunity, especially given the extensive work on offer in the UK to models of "all ethnicities and cultures".
She said she had previously expressed her thoughts on Australia's predominantly Caucasian-based image, and until she saw this email, thought she might have been exaggerating it in her mind.
"This is not right, and I want to bring it to the attention of Australians," she said. "I'm sure they are going to try and justify it... but it is not an acceptable comment."
Pic from http://kemarajandran.carbonmade.com
MEBOURNE: Australia's oldest Hindu temple in New South Wales was attacked by unidentified masked gunmen who fired several shots at it, triggering panic among the community members.
Sri Mandir at Auburn, which is more than three decades old, was attacked by two men, who were wearing balaclavas or ski masks, on the night of March 19.
The attackers were caught on CCTV firing shots at the temple. No one was killed or seriously injured in the incident, which created panic among the temple's priest and worshippers, local media reported.
A police spokeswoman was quoted as saying by the 'Sydney Morning Herald' newspaper that detectives were working closely with the community as part of investigation into the incident.
Rohit Revo, a Sydney resident and editor of a local newspaper 'The Indian', said the footage of the attack was handed over to police, but nothing has been done to solve the issue.
"Few bullets hit the wall at the temple entrance, just a feet away from the main door. One of the bullets grazed through the wall and ricocheted hitting the emergency door on the side of the temple," he was quoted as saying.
"A bullet was also fired on the roof of the temple which found its way through the false ceiling inside the temple. Looking at the bullet marks on the temple walls suggests that specialised big bullets were used in the operation," he said.
Normal bullets are of a very small width but these bullets have created bigger holes on the walls, Revo said.
"Neighbours are also sick of the escalating violence and have extended silent support to the temple by sending them e-mails etc but fear speaking in the public," he said, adding the recent incident was not the first one as the temple has been attacked several times since 2004.
Last November, some people armed with metal bars had smashed two windows of the temple, when six worshippers were inside.
The temple's priest Jatinkumar Bhatt claimed that he had also been harassed by youths in the past, but the latest shooting incident left him scared.
"I have a family as well, three kids and my wife," he said. "Throwing eggs and bottles is an ongoing process but this bullet really put us in a panic."
Even as Australian Ministers, politicians and officials were taking the position in public that there was no racial motivation behind the spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia, chiefly in and around Melbourne in the State of Victoria, Australian diplomats were quietly acknowledging to their U.S. counterparts that it was indeed a likely factor. Also, the Australian government's efforts, in their opinion, had only a limited impact on cooling tempers (230335: confidential, October 20, 2009).
The cables were accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks.
The number of Indian students enrolling in Australian universities had steadily grown over the past decade. In 2009, according to international student enrolment data in Australia, about 120,000 Indians had enrolled as full fee-paying international students, making Australia the second most popular educational destination for them after the United States. However, the situation abruptly changed in 2010, when incidents of attacks on Indian students, which had rapidly increased since 2008, reached a crisis point.
A cable sent from the U.S. Embassy in Canberra on January 7, 2010 (242815: confidential), five days after Nitin Garg, a 21-year-old Indian student, was stabbed to death in Melbourne, observed that Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard (she is now the Prime Minister), while condemning the murder, “stopped short of apologizing or referring to racial motivations.” Opposition leader Tony Abbott, the same cable pointed out, had also rejected any such suggestion. However, Peter Varghese, the Indian-origin Australian High Commissioner to New Delhi, seemed to think otherwise. He acknowledged that race “was likely a motivating factor is some attacks.”
The fallout of these attacks was not limited to the student community. “Former Australian Consul General to Mumbai and prominent Melbourne businessman, Shabbir Wahid, noted that concern over the issue was beginning to reach Melbourne's older and better established Indian communities, with some saying that they are reevaluating their long term plans to stay in Australia.”
To Anita Nayyar, the Indian Consul General in Melbourne, the fear of an attack was a personal one.
She confessed that she now “looks over (her) shoulder” while walking around Melbourne's central business district” (248490: confidential, February 12, 2010).
To the Australian government, the worry was two-fold. It had to redeem its battered reputation and image. The loss of revenue on account of fewer international students choosing the country as their destination was the other concern.
Higher education was then Australia's third largest export-earner, behind coal and iron ore, and for the State of Victoria it was the single largest item. In 2010, a U.S. Embassy cable from Canberra (242815: confidential, January 7) noted that Australia's Tourism Forecasting Committee had estimated that the number of students enrolling in Australian universities would come down by 20 per cent compared to the 2009 figures. And this would amount to a loss of $70 million in revenue.
A U.S. Embassy cable (248490: confidential, February 12, 2010), in an interestingly titled section “Press Wranglers Wanted,” noted, citing observers, that the “Victorian government has completely failed to manage the press on this issue” and that “sensationalist press accounts are exacerbating what would have otherwise been a very manageable issue.”
Ms. Nayyar was more candid with her views on the Indian media and the coverage of the issue. She told U.S. diplomats that “a visiting contingent of Indian journalists had already written their headline story, ‘why they hate us,' even before landing in Melbourne for a week-long tour. She went on to say that the Indian press was still enamoured with this story and has paid interviewees well for their stories of woe.”
The cable noted that matters were only made worse by unfortunate public comments including one by Victoria's police chief, Simon Overlander, that “the streets of Melbourne are safer than those in India.”
(This article is a part of the series "The India Cables" based on the US diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu via Wikileaks.)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Hit by by a 35 per cent drop in the arrival of Indian students to its universities in the backdrop of the attacks, 35 Australian universities showcased a range of academic programmes, career opportunities and scholarships here in an attempt to woo youngsters to pursue higher education.
Maintaining that the attack on Indians students, who represent the second largest section among International students, had been 'overplayed', Michael Carter, Consul Commercial, Australian Trade Commission, told reporters that there was a drop of 35 per cent of Indian students to Australia last year. The attacks were 'isolated incidents', he said.
As per 2009-10 figures, about 600,000 foreign students were studying in Australia of which 100,000 were from India.
In the past there has been random attacks on Indian students and the Australian government has taken a serious view of the matter, he said. Law enforcement facility has been expanded, court system has been streamlined and various help lines and social networks in collaboration with Indian students have been set up.
Both the governments are committed to ensure that Indian students get good education in Australia and are safe, he said.
Pointing that the relationship between the two countries was stronger than ever before, he said India was the third largest trading partner of Australia. There has been an increase in investments of Australia to India and vice versa.
Carter, who will be overseeing trade and investment activities in South India from next month, said India-Australia trade was worth 22 billion Australian dollars and 80 per cent was in resources sector. India buys large quantities of coal, gold, copper and LNG, he said adding Infrastructure, Education and Agri business and Agriculture would be the areas Australia would be focussing on in India.
Organised by the Australian Government, the Education fair in India showcased the quality, innovation and leadership of Australian education and the global career opportunities an Australian education offers. The fair has covered 7 cities so far including kochi. A similar roadshow will be held in Colombo also, he said.
Source: Indian Express
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sydney, Australia — A coalition of 27 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) is today releasing a joint statement reaffirming our united opposition to the nuclear industry. The statement has been endorsed by leading national environmental and public health NGOs, all state conservation councils, and key climate change action groups and networks.
Dr Jim Green from the Choose Nuclear Free project said: "Environmental, public health and climate change groups call on political parties to seriously combat global warming by adopting policies to support the rapid expansion of the renewable energy sector and energy efficiency. We reject nuclear power as it is dirty, dangerous and distracts attention and resources away from existing effective, safe and affordable solutions to climate change."
The group statement also expresses concern about the mismanagement of Australia's radiaoctive waste. Dr Bill Williams, President of the Medical Association for Prevention of War, said: "The federal government's National Radioactive Waste Management Bill 2010 suspends the application of key Indigenous and environmental protections and overrides all state/territory laws. The Bill upholds the strongly contested nomination of a dump site at Muckaty in the Northern Territory − currently the subject of legal action in the Federal Court initiated by Muckaty Traditional Owners."
"The current debate around nuclear is a serious distraction, when there are so many problems with the technology" said Greenpeace Head of Campaigns, Stephen Campbell. "Australia is a country with enormous potential for renewable energy. Nuclear is unsafe, dirty and expensive. Many countries around the world are far in advance of Australia in deploying renewables, and the few nuclear new-builds are massively over-budget and behind schedule."
Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Chair of the Board of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, is promoting the construction of 50 nuclear power reactors in Australia. Over a 50-year lifespan, 50 reactors would:
* produce 75,000 tonnes of high level nuclear waste;
* produce 750,000 cubic metres of low level waste and intermediate level waste;
* produce 750 tonnes of plutonium;
* be responsible for 1.8 billion tonnes of low level radioactive tailings waste (assuming the uranium comes from the Olympic Dam mine); and
* be responsible for 430,000 tonnes of depleted uranium waste, a by-product of uranium enrichment.
Greenpeace
Melbourne: A 24-year-old Indian student has been found raped and murdered after her body was located stuffed inside a suitcase near a canal in Sydney last week.
"On 11 March morning, construction workers found the suitcase containing the woman's body in a water canal near Meadowbank Park and alerted police," said a statement issued by the local police.
The victim was identified as Indian student Tosha Thakkar and police were now waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination to determine exactly how she died.
They have confirmed she was last seen alive on March 9.
Thakkar was studying accounting at the Sydney College of Business and IT, which collaborates with Southern Cross University, and was a permanent resident of Australia.
Friends and family of Thakkar told media that they had no idea why she was killed.
The body of Thakkar was stuffed into a suitcase which construction workers spotted in a canal near Meadowbank Park as they were doing maintenance on an oil pipeline.
Police has arrested 19-year-old Daniel Stani-Reginald in connection with the murder and the accused was questioned by detectives and charged with murder and aggravated sexual assault.
Accused Stani-Reginald, who lived close to Thakkar in Croydon, was arrested at an Ashfield motel on weekend and appeared via video link in Parramatta Local Court yesterday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
The court refused to grant him bail.
The accused glanced at the Indian students who poured into the court in their dozens, filling the chairs and every centimetre of floor space, and then bowed his head for the duration of the hearing.
Charged with aggravated sexual assault and murder, he did not apply for bail and it was formally refused, with the matter adjourned to Burwood Local Court today.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
A new discussion paper says international student disquiet in Australia is generating a growing movement. By Susan Woodward (Report published in Campus Review - Australia’s only dedicated higher education publication written for the sector by an independent voice)
Government failure to address racism and the basic human rights of international students in Australia is fuelling a rising social movement and could collapse the nation’s $18 billion export education industry.This thinly veiled warning is contained in a research paper released last week by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
In the paper, the academy outlines the conditions of racism, violent attacks, sexual harassment, workplace exploitation and overcrowded, expensive accommodation that are causing international student unrest.
“[The student movement] is going to definitely become stronger and stronger, because these human rights issues are unanswered, because the various, really difficult problems are not being addressed effectively by government – in fact, government is resisting addressing them,” said Professor Andrew Jakubowicz, who wrote the paper with Dr Devaki Monani, both from the University of Technology, Sydney.
No longer a marginalised minority, the sheer force of international student numbers would force policy change, or Australia’s $18 billion export education industry faced “catastrophic collapse”, Jakubowicz told Campus Review.
The paper is the second to result from a series of roundtables held last year involving the academy, the Australian Human Rights Commission and Universities Australia.
Titled International Student Futures in Australia, it examines the nation’s policies regarding international students and finds them to be shallow and unco-ordinated.
The paper calls on government to co-ordinate its policies and emphasises the need for social planning based on rigorous research.
“Poorly researched policy, under-theorised analyses, disconnected responses and unco-ordinated strategic perspectives have produced a somewhat chaotic approach,” the authors write.
The paper notes an overwhelming majority of international students have reported positive experiences and satisfaction with education quality.
Yet it also says the fight for international student rights in Australia is growing into a global social movement of “some significance” and representing three million students.
The Council of International Students Australia, which contributed to the roundtables, used the paper’s publication to pressure government to convene high-level meetings with peak representatives.
Council president Robert Atcheson called on the government to construct an instrument, such as a charter of human rights for international students, to align international students with their domestic counterparts.
“International students are in an extremely vulnerable position when they come to Australia to study and one of the reasons is because they lack basic human rights due to their temporary status within the Australian society,” Atcheson said.
The paper’s researchers also advocate for political rights. As taxpayers, international students “should be provided with access to some political influence, perhaps through being given the right to vote in local elections after 12 months’ residence, lasting for the period of their enrolment and recognised work experience,” they argue.
Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans, whose international student strategy was tepidly received by the sector when released last October, did not respond to requests for comment for this story from Campus Review.
However, international student dissatisfaction is well known to the government. In a Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) briefing released to the media, the department informs incoming immigration minister Chris Bowen about the effects of migration policy on hundreds of thousands of international students.
“Many are aggrieved and they are beginning to mobilise,” the briefing warns.
Race discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes agreed government failure on human rights threatened the whole international student industry.
He said he was not confident the government would be able to prevent the industry’s collapse.
“All the figures and all the trends suggest otherwise. It’s been trending up at around 12 per cent per annum since the '90s, but all the forecasts suggest within the second half of this year there will be a 22 per cent drop in international students and that will move to 30 to 40 per cent,” Innes said.
“It’s going to hit the VET sector first and the higher education sector a bit later, but there will be a number of universities that [receive] a great deal of their budget from international students that will be seriously affected.”
Innes said economic damage wrought by recent flooding had already cast doubt on whether the Australian government could achieve its budget surplus goal for 2012-13.
“The last thing the government would want is a decline in the fourth-largest export industry,” he said.
He said it was “picking and choosing” which parts of the international student crisis to address and not facing up to the major ones.
“If you look at some of the surveys that [higher education researchers] Chris Nyland and Simon Marginson have done, rape and abuse and threatened violence against international students is the most serious issue, as viewed by international students, and that issue’s not really being addressed,” he said.
“We don’t have a multicultural policy and we don’t have an anti-racism strategy and we don’t really have a recognition that race is a factor in these problems.”
There were signs, however, that the government would recognise Australia’s lingering problems with racism and begin to develop such policies in the near future, Innes said.
The human rights commission is developing its own policies for international students in Australia in a “minimum standards” document it intends to take to government by mid-year.
Innes said growing international student advocacy was understandable.
“[International students] either address these issues in an organised way and advocate on their own behalf, or they tolerate some of the very concerning things going on, or they [will] go home,” Innes said.
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