S. Australia to waive tuition fees

More than 25,000 children of foreigners will benefit from new policy

KUCHING: Deputy Premier of South Australia Kevin Foley announced last Friday that education tuition fees involving the children of foreigners staying in South Australia will be waived.

“More than 25,000 will benefit from this policy,” Foley said through a press statement issued in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

According to him, South Australia was home to over 25,000 foreign students last year, a figure seen as a reflection of its growing popularity as a great place for education investment.

The statement said Adelaide offers world-class education at all schooling levels and it is home to six universities, namely the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Flinders University, Carnegie Mellon (US), Cranfield (UK) and Ballarat (Victoria).

It said waiving education tuition fees would make for better investment climate.

“South Australia is a great place for investment. As we all are aware, the economic meltdown is slowing things down. But in every adversity comes an opportunity,” Foley was quoted as saying at a dinner reception hosted by the South Australian government in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.

The April 17 dinner was graced by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu.

Foley also called upon Malaysian business community to get in touch with South Australia for more business opportunities, saying the state “is riding the crest of an economic wave”.

“About AS$45 billion worth of major projects, either underway or proposed, are creating development, investment and employment opportunities,” he said.

He said South Australia’s capital, Adelaide, is rated as the continent’s most cost-competitive city for business by KPMG Competitive Alternatives Report 2008.

More significantly, he said, South Australia has the demands of commerce and industry and people living a great lifestyle or a high standard of living.

Adelaide is rated the world’s third-best destination for business travel and the best in Australia, and one of the world’s top seven most liveable cities, he said.

“South Australia is synonymous with its rugged outback, unspoilt coastline and the beautiful city of Adelaide. Put tourism aside, South Australia blends more things than thought,” he said.

“From seafood to wine, cricket, mining, manufacturing and education, South Australia has earned its good reputation as one of the choicest destinations for both the business community and tourists,

“And for wine lovers, South Australia is the centre of the Australian wine industry, producing half of the nation’s wine and 57 per cent of national wine exports,” he said.