What is #StudentsLikeUs Campaign?

Refugees with permanent and temporary immigration protection have different entitlements, effectively preventing potentially thousands of refugees from accessing Australian higher education. While people who arrive via the offshore humanitarian program are given permanent residency and subsequent access to the full suite of humanitarian supports, as well as access to both Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) and the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), people who seek asylum on arrival in Australia are placed on Bridging Visas (BVs) and offered no more than temporary protection if found to be a refugee. The temporariness of their protection status means limited access to humanitarian settlement supports and public education, thereby compounding the vulnerabilities they experience and creating a roadblock to their full participation in Australian society.

#StudentsLikeUs seeks to highlight the injustice of two tiers of protection with regard to what it means for educational access, participation and success.

This campaign aims to influence higher education sector policy and practice with regard to access for Refugees on Temporary Protection (RTP) and BV holders. We want to inform policy and practice with

1. Universities Australia (Australian higher education’s peak body);
2. publicly-funded universities; and
3. the general public.

We will also seek to inform state government policy with regard to access to TAFE, and federal policy with regard to ending the arbitrary barriers resulting from temporary protection.

#StudentsLikeUs argues that all universities across Australia should

• offer study packages (fee-waiver scholarships, stipends, supports, work opportunities) to RTP and BV holders;
• coordinate their responses to make it easier for students to apply to study;
• design, implement and continuously improve targeted supports and services to RTP focused on participation, success and transition out of their studies through case management support, and the development of clear pathways to subsidised tertiary education (TAFE and HE).

The campaign will also encourage Universities Australia

1) to commit to a public statement in support of RTP;

2) urge public universities to report on refugee student participation; and

3) advocate that the federal government (specifically the Department of Education and Training) change the legislation in the Higher Education Support Act (HESA) to recognise RTP as domestic students.

#StudentsLikeUs will seek to raise awareness through our student, staff and alumni networks, and with a public campaign that highlights the unfairness caused by government policy, the impact on affected students, and the role of universities in responding to this situation.

In addition to raising awareness and encouraging various forms of participation in the messaging and campaigning, we will also encourage members of the public to raise funds to support RTP who are currently studying in tertiary education through the accompanying Living Support Fund. This campaign will continue for as long as RTP are effectively locked out of accessing affordable higher education and for as long as the temporary protection policy persists.