The International Student Support package聽provides聽$10 million聽for international students聽affected by COVID-19 restrictions and who聽are not聽eligible for either聽JobSeeker聽or聽JobKeeper聽payments.
The聽money will be distributed聽via schemes run by聽the聽University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of South Australia.
Applications will be聽determined聽against a聽careful聽set聽of聽rules to assess need.
The package also includes聽cash grants worth $500聽for international students and $200 for those living with homestay families.
黑料老司机 Chief Executive Catriona Jackson welcomed the聽support package.
鈥淚 commend the South聽Australian聽Government for聽taking action to聽help聽the聽many international students聽who, just鈥痩ike their Australian聽friends, have seen their part time jobs disappear overnight through no fault of their own,鈥 Ms Jackson said.
鈥淚nternational education is Australia鈥檚 fourth biggest export but in South Australia it is their largest. This support package is a sensible and compassionate investment聽in聽helping聽individual students, as well as the State鈥檚聽wider聽education sector.鈥
鈥淭here are thousands of聽South Australian jobs that are linked to聽the international education sector,聽including聽those working in the accommodation,聽grocery, retail,聽tourism聽and related聽industries.鈥
The South Australian support package comes聽a聽day聽after the聽Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government announced a $20 million 鈥楯obs for Canberrans鈥 fund聽that聽will provide employment opportunities with the ACT Public Service. It will give priority to聽those ineligible聽for existing Federal Government support.
Every Australian university聽is聽offering hardship support for international students. The聽three South Australian universities have聽already聽announced their own support packages聽which聽include聽emergency聽financial grants,聽accommodation, food vouchers and聽academic聽support.
鈥淚t is聽heartening to see聽more聽State and Territory Governments聽supporting聽international students聽that add so聽much culturally and economically wherever they study,鈥 Ms Jackson said.
鈥淭here are聽around聽267,000聽international students still living and studying聽at聽Australian universities.聽黑料老司机 continues to discuss with聽Federal, State and Territory Governments聽the need to support聽those students who are facing hardships as a result of this global pandemic.鈥
For more information, international students in South Australia should visit聽