Open letter from NTEU members regarding the Four Corners episode ‘Cash Cows’

As university workers and National Tertiary Education Union members, we write to express our concern about Four Corners’ pre-election documentary, ‘Cash Cows’, for its racist portrayal of international students.

Four Corners claims that Australia’s higher education system is being undermined by a growing reliance on foreign fee-paying students and scapegoats international students for the failures of government to fund tertiary education properly. The truth is that staff and students are suffering in universities, not because of international students but six years of brutal funding cuts from the Liberal government. In 2017 the Liberals slashed $2.1 billion from university funding and successive rounds of cuts have followed. In December of last year the Coalition moved to slash $328.5 million in research funding. The real threat to the quality and integrity of the higher education system is the Liberals.

The anti-immigrant politics in the episode are explicit. The program opens with a soundbite from ‘former immigration official’ Andrew Dunstan and goes downhill from there. One student is even sympathetically interviewed regarding his claim to have dropped out of his course after he was placed in a group with students who were of Indian background and spoke to one another in a language other than English. The program then attacks universities for accepting international students who do not meet ‘minimum English requirements’. Universities could easily provide these students with free and accessible English tutoring and reduce workloads for staff who are too overworked to give students the support they need.

Arguing that universities should restrict students based on their level of English proficiency continues a long history in Australia of racial exclusion under the guise of policing ‘language’.

It is telling that the university that Four Corners focused on was Murdoch, the same university that in 2017 launched an unprecedented attack on workers rights by terminating their Enterprise Bargaining Agreement. If there is a lowering of academic standards at Murdoch and issues with student welfare, then it is the harsh agenda of cuts and sackings run by their stridently anti-union management that is to blame, not international students.

Many of the academics interviewed in the episode expressed concern for the wellbeing of international students and an opposition to the profit motives of university management. But the documentary’s focus is not on the neoliberal university but instead on demonising international students as sneaky ‘backdoor’ migrants.

Against the backdrop of rising Islamophobia and anti-Chinese racism, this documentary draws explicitly on racist stereotypes, and feeds into a climate of xenophobia. Students of colour are likely to feel less welcome and less safe on university campuses as a result of the documentary, whether they are international students or not.

The NTEU have seized on this program as evidence of the sector ‘selling its soul’ – the sector is certainly run like a business, but this is not the fault of international students. We, the undersigned NTEU members, argue that the problem is that universities have been set up to run like profit maximising corporations selling education as a product. In this context, aligning ourselves with the pursuit of academic ‘standards’ just means aligning ourselves with university managements in their branding efforts.

Instead of blaming international students for inadequate funding, and the failings of a corporatised education system, we need a free fully government funded education system for all students. The recent tweet from the national office in support of international students and opposing racism was very welcome. However, it is disappointing that the follow-up statement from the national office called for further ‘vetting’ of International students All students should be welcome in universities and given the support they need to learn. For those students who are new to the English language, free and accessible services should be provided to assist them. International students are not the problem. Funding cuts, overwork and the vicious anti-union and anti-worker agenda of universities like Murdoch are the problem.

We urge the NTEU to completely disassociate itself from this documentary by ceasing to promote it, and to take the next step by releasing a statement condemning the program altogether for its racist narrative that international students are undermining the quality of universities.

NTEU members can add their names in the comments below to sign the statement.

Signatories:

Dr Max Kaiser, University of Melbourne

Shan Windscript, NTEU delegate, University of Melbourne

Geraldine Fela, NTEU casuals activist, University of Melbourne

Jimmy Yan, University of Melbourne

Amy Thomas, UTS NTEU Casual representative, NTEU National Casuals Committee

Bernard Keo, Monash University

Ainslee Meredith, University of Melbourne

Dr Francis Markham, Australian National University

Dr Evan Smith, Flinders University

Dr Ada Chan, University of Melbourne

Dr Anja Kanngieser, University of Wollongong

Sofie Onorato, University of Melbourne

Dr. Lauren Bliss, University of Melbourne

Dr Jordy Silverstein, University of Melbourne

Dr Joshua Pocius, University of Melbourne

Anastasia Kanjere, La Trobe University

Dr. Hayley Singer, University of Melbourne

Rosie Joy Barron, University of Melbourne Branch Committee member

Dr. Jay Daniel Thompson, University of Melbourne and Victoria University

Christopher O’Neill, NTEU delegate, University of Melbourne

Connor Jolley, RMIT University

Dr Jon Piccini, Australian Catholic University

Thao Phan, Deakin University

Abbie Trott, University of Melbourne and University of Queensland

Samantha Mannix, University of Melbourne

Claire Akhbari, Ability English and the University of Melbourne

Dr Benjamin Cooke, RMIT University

Bonita Cabiles, University of Melbourne

Eric Stacey, Deakin University

Jessica Marian, NTEU delegate, University of Melbourne

Chong Yoong Wai, Postgrad member, University of Melbourne

Jason Wong, Postgrad member, University of Melbourne

Miro Sandev, NTEU casuals activist, University of Sydney

James Harding, Sydney Uni NTEU Casual representative, NTEU National Casuals Committee

Anna Hush, University of New South Wales

Marijke Hoving, University of Sydney

Carol Que, University of Melbourne

Melissa Laing, PhD Candidate/Sessional Academic, RMIT University

Natalie Osborne, Lecturer, Griffith University

Jessica Ison, La Trobe University

Joshua Ford, University of Sydney

Caitlin Doyle-Markwick, University of Sydney

Dr Natalie Hendry, Deakin University

Annette Herrera, UniMelb NTEU Casual representative, NTEU National Casuals Committee

Rachael Hamed, University of Sydney

Kirk Graham, University of Queensland

Melanie Lazarow, NTEU life member

A/Prof Sara C. Motta, University of Newcastle

Dr Hannah McCann, Lecturer in Cultural Studies, University of Melbourne

Dr Briony Towers, RMIT University

Dr Lauren Pikó, University of Melbourne

Rula Paterson, Murrup Barak, University of Melbourne

Ruby Wawn, University of Technology Sydney

Barrie Shannon, University of Newcastle

Gemma Killen, Australian National University

Dr Guy Gillor, University of Melbourne

Dr Timothy Laurie, University of Technology Sydney

Alana West, University of Technology Sydney

Sophia Davidson Gluyas, University of Sydney

Vivian Honan, University of Sydney

Padraic Gibson, Jumbunna Institute, University of Technology Sydney

Fan Yang, Deakin University

Jacqueline Storey, University of Melbourne

Dr Effie Karageorgos, The University of Melbourne.

Freya Newman, Research Assistant, University of Technology Sydney

Natalie Lowden, University of Sydney

Elizabeth Humphrys, University of Technology Sydney

James Newbold, University of Sydney

Grace Torcasio, University of Melbourne

Hannah Forsyth, Australian Catholic University

Dr Rhiannon Bandiera, Flinders University

Clare O’Hanlon, La Trobe University

Dr Margaret Mayhew, La Trobe University & University of Melbourne

William Scates Frances, Australian National University

Dr Kumuda Simpson, Lecturer in International Relations, La Trobe University

Dr Mia Martin Hobbs, University of Melbourne

Polly Bennett, RMIT University and Victoria University

Dr Marcus Banks, RMIT University & University of Melbourne

Cheri Mays, Macquarie University

Kent Getsinger, NTEU Delegate, University of Adelaide

Dr Julia Dehm, La Trobe University

Dr Ntina Tzouvala University of Melbourne

Dr Katherine Firth, Lecturer and Academic Coordinator, La Trobe University

Nick Robinson, NTEU Delegate, University of Melbourne

Rosie Isaac, Monash University

Dr. Catherine Frieman, Australian National University

Dr. Bhuva Narayan, University of Technology Sydney

Ms Xi Chen, University of Sydney

Yusen Zhang, University of Technology Sydney

Andrew Pippos, University of Technology Sydney

Kate Davison, University of Melbourne

Michael Pearson, Australian Catholic University.

Dr Sarah Gregson NTEU Branch President UNSW

Matt Mason, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Paramedicine, USC

Dr Michael Grewcock, Faculty of Law, UNSW Sydney

Sophie Rudolph, University of Melbourne Branch Committee member

A/Prof Anthony J. Langlois, College of Business, Government & Law, Flinders University

Xinyi Duan, University of Sydney

Dr Mary Tomsic, University of Melbourne

Therese Apolonio, University of Technology Sydney

Lucy Fiske, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Natasha Story, University of Melbourne

Dr Ben Silverstein, Australian National University

Emma Whatman, Deakin University

Dr Emmett Stinson, Deakin University

Frank Candiloro, RMIT University

Gong Chen, Sydney University

Dr Anthea Vogl, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Kim Barbour, The University of Adelaide

Anton Donohoe-Marques, University of Melbourne

Francesco Ricatti, School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University

Dr Catherine Ayres, Australian National University

Professor Jim Ife, School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University

Dr Liz Dean, Sociology Program, The University of Melbourne

Phil Chilton, Casual Academic, School of Media, Creative Arts & Social inquiry, Curtin University

Dr Sukhmani Khorana, University of Wollongong

Emma Lian, University of Sydney

Vickie Zhang, School of Geography, The University of Melbourne

Matilda Fay, University of Technology Sydney

Lu Lin, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne

Dr Melinda Harvey, Monash University

Kate Hutchinson, University of Sydney

Luís Bogliolo, University of Melbourne

Alex Ligthart-Smith, University of Melbourne

Charlie Sofo, Monash University

Sally Olds, University of Melbourne

Kay Yidi Yan, University of Sydney

Dr Erin O’Donnell, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne

Dr Kalissa Alexeyeff, University of Melbourne

Kelton Muir de Moore, University of Sydney

Giles Fielke, University of Melbourne / Monash University

Benjamin McElduff, Australian Catholic University

Robbie Haddad, Deakin University

Dr Sara Dehm, University of Technology Sydney

Kelly Palmer, NTEU delegate, Queensland University of Technology

Shirley Jackson, University of Melbourne

Dr Jane Carey, University of Wollongong

Matthew Absalom, The University of Melbourne

David Vakalis, School of Social and Political Sciences, Monash University

Louise Corney, SUPRA

Dina Afrianty, La Trobe University

A/P Martha Macintyre, The University of Melbourne

Desiree Lane The Arts Unit NSW

Associate Professor Jane Haggis, Flinders University

Associate Professor Katherine Ellinghaus, La Trobe University

Dr Dave McDonald, University of Melbourne

Tooba Anwar, Western Sydney University

Dr Joni Meenagh, RMIT University

Dr Victoria Stead, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Deakin University

John Kennedy, University of Newcastle

Catherine Gomes, RMIT University

Professor Meaghan Morris, University of Sydney

Dr Sahar Ghumkhor, University of Melbourne

Dr. Maree Pardy, Faculty of Arts and Ed, Deakin University

Mark Gawne, University of Technology Sydney, FASS

Dr Jessica Ford, University of Newcastle

Paula Hendrikx, University of Melbourne

Hamish Clark, University of Melbourne

Divya Rama Gopalakrishnan, University of Melbourne

Vasiliky Kasidis, University of Melbourne

Dr Alex Pavlotski, La Trobe University – University of Auckland

Dr. Marc de Leeuw, UNSW Law

A/Prof Tanja Dreher, University of New South Wales

George Maxwell, Monash University and University of Melbourne

Dr Carolyn D’Cruz, La Trobe University

Nathan Gardner, University of Melbourne

Dr Jacinda Woodhead, editor Overland magazine

Dr Grace Yee, University of Melboure

Joshua Specht, Monash University

A/Prof Clare Corbould, Deakin University