Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has been slammed for pledging $5 million in taxpayer funds to help universities set up shop in India and avoid new international student caps.
Ms Allan started her four-day visit in Delhi on Sunday, and announced the “Yes to International Students Fund” in a speech on Monday night where she bragged about her state having more Indian immigrants than any other.
But irate Victorians asked why Ms Allan was spending money on foreigners while the state was broke, and said the number of Indians in Australia was already too high.
“Another Labor leader that does not care about Australians. Australians have no housing, yet this idiot is over in India bringing in more people to take our housing,” said one furious resident.
“Where is that money coming from?” asked another. “Victoria is broke we are struggling to pay our bills! Health, roads, ambulances are all falling apart! This is very poor leadership and financial mismanagement!”
Ambulance Victoria is reviewing the death of a 69-year-old man who died while waiting four hours for an ambulance in eastern Melbourne on the same day Ms Allan flew to India.
“Just spend it bringing Puneet Puneet back and then capping the wave of how many are coming into this country. Close our borders. Our housing can’t keep up,” said another.
“Why are we paying for Indian students’ degrees?” asked one X user, while another said: “Indians aren’t paying for education you dumb ass, they’re paying for residency.”
Ms Allan’s offshore education fund will pay universities and TAFEs to set up campuses overseas in order to get around the Albanese government’s caps, even though they are designed to ease pressure on the housing and rental markets.
“We say yes to international students because they boost our economy and our global reputation, they support our small businesses, and they keep our multicultural state connected with the world,” Ms Allan said.
“We say no to the federal government’s caps. Our new fund is going to help our unis and TAFEs find innovative ways to challenge them, and make our offering to international students even stronger.”
The fund will be for the provision of Australian courses to students abroad, either in overseas campuses or in courses that are provided in partnership with foreign universities.
RMIT University and India’s BITS Pilani already have a dual degree program, and will now expand their agreement, meaning Victoria may be able to increase its international student intake despite the caps.
On Sunday Ms Allan raised the issue of killer India driver Puneet Puneet, who fled Australia 16 years ago on another man’s passport after mowing down a 19-year-old Queensland nursing student, with Australia’s High Commissioner.
But she did not bring up the case with Indian officials.
As of June last year there were 272,250 Indian immigrants living in Victoria, 4.2% of the state’s population and 5.1% of Melbourne’s. Another 120,000 people in Victoria have Indian ancestry.
Pictured above: Jacinta Allan during her trip (Premier’s Office Media)
