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Katie Woolf spoke with CDU Vice Chancellor Simon Maddocks · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This morning. Actually around sixty international students bound for Charles
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Darwin University arrived in Darwin and joining us on the
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: line to tell us more about the situation. Vice Chancellor
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  Speaker 1: Professor Simon Maddox, Good morning.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Cody, Professor.
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  Speaker 1: How many students did indeed arrive this morning?
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  Speaker 2: So sixty three students have arrived this morning in.
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  Speaker 1: Darwin and it is all part of I guess you'd say, well,
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  Speaker 1: we're sort of the first in the country, aren't we
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  Speaker 1: to see international students return to their studies.
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  Speaker 2: Yes. Indeed, we've been negotiating with the Australian government and
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory government for the last seven months. I
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  Speaker 2: guess since we went into COVID lockdown really back in
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  Speaker 2: March to understand what and when the opportunity might arise.
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  Speaker 2: And we were the first university in Australia to be
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  Speaker 2: given permissioned by the Prime Minister to facilitate this pilot flight.
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  Speaker 2: So I guess this is a a flight that has
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  Speaker 2: been used to explore the opportunities and what else Australia
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  Speaker 2: might need to do to ramp up the return of
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  Speaker 2: greater numbers of international students earlier next year. But this
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  Speaker 2: is the first and we've done it here in Darwen.
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  Speaker 1: And so where are they coming from?
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  Speaker 2: So, look, they've come from five sources of origin for
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  Speaker 2: this group, some from mainland China, some from Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam,
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  Speaker 2: and Indonesia.
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  Speaker 1: And what's the process.
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  Speaker 2: We all came through Singapore.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, And so what's the process going to be a
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  Speaker 1: professor in terms of, you know, making sure that they
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  Speaker 1: quarantine and all that kind of stuff.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, so that's all part of the deal. So they
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  Speaker 2: all had to meet pre arranged flights that all arrived
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  Speaker 2: in Singapore within a window to all be able to
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  Speaker 2: be processed for the one charter flight that brought them
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  Speaker 2: here to Darwin. They will then spend two weeks in
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  Speaker 2: quarantine and how it springs and assuming all goes well there,
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  Speaker 2: then we look forward to seeing them out and after
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  Speaker 2: about the fifteenth of December, I think. So they all
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  Speaker 2: had to go through they all had to present with
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  Speaker 2: a COVID negative test within seventy two hours of departing Singapore. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and some other health questionnaires that they had to deal
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  Speaker 2: with with the health professionals that monitor all this. And
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  Speaker 2: they will then go through the same level of testing
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  Speaker 2: and management that all other visitors and how It Springs
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  Speaker 2: have to comply with.
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  Speaker 1: And so when will they start their courses then.
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  Speaker 2: So we have the ability to start to engage with
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  Speaker 2: them online now through the how It's Bring's facilities. But
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  Speaker 2: we start our some a semester and some of them
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  Speaker 2: will do that. Some of them will start some pre
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  Speaker 2: semester study for English preparation and stuff like that, with
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  Speaker 2: a view two starting in the early first semester next year.
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  Speaker 2: So there's a range of programs. Some of them are
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  Speaker 2: coming to do bed courses, some of them are coming
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  Speaker 2: to do higher eds.
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  Speaker 1: And there was some concern from the community or some
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  Speaker 1: in the community saying, you know, why is the university
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  Speaker 1: footing the bill for the international students to come to
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  Speaker 1: the territory? Is the case? Are you still footing the
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: bill for them to be out there at hard Springs.
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  Speaker 2: So the students have had to pay their own airfares
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  Speaker 2: to be part of this opportunity. We have agreed to
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  Speaker 2: cover the quarantine costs for this cohort of students as
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  Speaker 2: part of our commitment to the pilot to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that we all understand what is required going forward and
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  Speaker 2: that's a relatively small cost compared to what they will
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  Speaker 2: otherwise contribute in terms of the fees they pay and
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  Speaker 2: there spend they contribute to the broader community. So that's
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  Speaker 2: how that agreement was struck.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it is being reported that they bring an
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  Speaker 1: enormous amount to the Northern Territory in terms of boosting
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  Speaker 1: the economy.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, we were given the very strong support by the
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  Speaker 2: business groups in Darwen to see students return. They were
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  Speaker 2: significant part of the community. They certainly contribute to both
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  Speaker 2: employment and customer patronage of many many venues in Darwen
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  Speaker 2: and in Aloe Springs that matter, and I think we
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  Speaker 2: all look very much forward to having them back amongst us.
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  Speaker 1: And so sixty three arriving today, is there going to
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  Speaker 1: be more to come?
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  Speaker 2: Oh yes, we're already working on assuming that this goes well.
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  Speaker 2: And they arrived at seven twenty nine this morning and
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  Speaker 2: it was great to see that plane touchdown. I tell
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  Speaker 2: you there's been hours and hours of work gone into that.
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  Speaker 2: So we are already planning with the government additional flights
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  Speaker 2: to beginning January and keep going through early part of
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  Speaker 2: next year, all being well.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, Oh well, so it sounds as though it's the
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  Speaker 1: first of many and we're here in the territory a
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  Speaker 1: leading the.
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  Speaker 2: Way absolutely, and I just have to say it's been
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  Speaker 2: a fantastic Team and Tea and Team Australia cooperation to
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  Speaker 2: get this facilitated and we very much hope that it
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  Speaker 2: has demonstrated that there's both the ability and it can
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  Speaker 2: be done safely with no risk to the broader community.
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  Speaker 2: And we very much look forward to seeing these students
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  Speaker 2: back in the mix.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Professor Maddix, I know that you wouldn't have
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  Speaker 1: been in a situation where you've probably been able to
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  Speaker 1: go out there and talk to them or anything, because
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  Speaker 1: they're nice. But any word as to how those students
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: are feeling to have touched down in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Hi, they are absolutely thrilled. I was at the airport
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  Speaker 2: this morning with a small group to welcome the students
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  Speaker 2: as they stepped off the plane. Obviously we had to
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  Speaker 2: all keep separated by barricades and stuff that we were
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  Speaker 2: able to shout greetings across the fence and the barricades,
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  Speaker 2: and they're all very excited to be here and very
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  Speaker 2: much looking forward to the time they're going to have
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  Speaker 2: in Daie Well.
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  Speaker 1: Charles Dalwin University Vice Chancellor Simon Maddox, good to speak
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  Speaker 1: with you this morning. I really appreciate your time, my pleasure, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks very much for everybody else's support.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you and will there go. Sixty three of the
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  Speaker 1: international students have arrived. I know, like I said to
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  Speaker 1: the professor, I know that at different times some of
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  Speaker 1: you have been quite concerned or you know, I'm not
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  Speaker 1: overly happy about the fact that Charles Dalwin University is
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  Speaker 1: paying for their quarantine. But as you've just heard there
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  Speaker 1: from the professor, obviously we've got a situation where those
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  Speaker 1: student have had to pay for their own flights. Now
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  Speaker 1: it works out, or certainly the figure that is being
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  Speaker 1: spouted is that Northern Territory International Education Minister Nicole Madison
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  Speaker 1: has told the paper that each student contributes an average
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  Speaker 1: of forty thousand dollars each year to the Northern Territory economy.
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  Speaker 1: So when you look at it that way, I know
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  Speaker 1: that the argument would be it's well worth putting them
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  Speaker 1: through quarantine so that then they're able to be here
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  Speaker 1: in the territory. They're able to obviously contribute to the
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  Speaker 1: Northern territory's economy. You might have a different perspective. You
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: can feel free to text that through to us if
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: you like, or give us a call.