ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
One of the town’s thought leaders has blasted the Federal Government’s crackdown on student visas, telling The Advocate that it will hurt the bottom line of the Diamantina’s many tertiary education providers.
Greg McGunt, Vice Chancellor of the prestigious SupaDoopa Betoota Commerce College, said the overwhelming majority of their students come from overseas with the dream to study business, finance and business management in one of Australia’s most regarded institutions of learnings.
Now that the government is looking to plug the dam and stop the flow of students coming to Australia, McGunt explained to our reporter that our region and indeed the whole country will be pourer for it.
“For over two years, SupaDoopa has been providing bespoke, luxury and bespoke commerce degrees. As well as a number of other services,” he said.
“We provide a pathway for students to come to Australia and find work as food delivery couriers. It’s rare that a tertiary college helps their students come to Australia by telling Immigration some white lies. It’s rare that a tertiary college help students find full-time work when they arrive. It’s rare to find a tertiary college that has a Western Union inside it for students to send their money home,”
“Institutions like SupaDoopa Betoota Commerce College are being unfairly targeted by the Federal Government. Last year, we had over 25000 students enrolled and every single one of them passed. That’s despite almost all of them either studying online or not at all. We should be a G8 University. Instead, we’re being shut down. It’s apalling.”
The run on effects of the crackdown will be widespread across the community, McGunt says, leaving many industries struggling to find workers.
“Students come here to work, they don’t come here to sit in a quardrangle and slap bongo drums,” he said.
“Who do you think makes your fast food, Albanese? Young white kids getting their award wage? Maybe in Lithgow but certainly not in Betoota!”
More to come.
