International students studying in Townsville who have been impacted by the floods will be eligible for Queensland Government emergency hardship assistance grants.
Ministerial Champion for International Education Kate Jones today announced $100,000 in support for international students in Townsville would be delivered as part of the Palaszczuk Government’s focus on flood recovery in North Queensland.
“Close to 2000 International students call Townsville home each year and we know that some of these students have been directly impacted by the flood disaster – having their homes inundated or damaged,” she said.
“We want to support these students who call Townsville their second home. We know they have made a big decision to come to Australia and be part of the Queensland community and we want to ensure their stay remains a positive experience for them.”
Students visiting Townsville come from a range of different countries including the USA, Papua New Guinea, Canada, India, Germany and China and study at James Cook University, Central Queensland University, TAFE Queensland as well as a number of public and private schools.
“I’ve heard real cases of hardship, including two Malaysian students who were working remotely in a hospital in Weipa when their home was flooded out,” Ms Jones said.
“They were working in a Queensland community helping locals and they now have no home.”
In partnership with Study Queensland, Study Townsville will host a student community morning tea at the JCU Douglas Campus today for all affected students.
The Community Recovery outreach team will be on hand to assist students in submitting a hardship claim and connecting with charities such as GIVIT.
