BY FILMENT HO

Before arriving in Melbourne for her studies in February this year, Monash student was hopeful she would see the end of stories of COVID-19-related discrimination on the news.

But two months ago, international relations student Nur Halizar’s fears came true. 

After walking out of a job interview at Southern Cross Station, the 19-year-old said an older Caucasian woman came up to her, yelled derogatory racial remarks, and spat at her.

“I thought it was because I looked visibly Asian and was not wearing a mask like everyone else,” Ms Halizar said.

“I did not know how to respond and was just shocked. On the way back home, I tried to process the incident, but eventually decided to brush it off.”

Melbourne's Chinese community became a target for racial abuse at the beginning of the pandemic.

However, the COVID-19 Racism Incident Report Survey 2021 found the vitriol had been extended to other Asian communities.

Ninety-two per cent of the participants in the study conducted by the Australian Asian Alliance and think-tank Per Capita reported pandemic-related discrimination.

Anisa Algadrie, of Arab-Muslim descent, is a 21-year-old psychology student at Monash University and an Australian Permanent Resident.

“When you look at me, you do not immediately think I am Asian because I do not look predominantly East Asian,” she said.

Ms Algadrie has not been affected by anti-Asian racism but said it has fuelled xenophobic sentiments in Australia.

Her and her partner were also verbally abused at a train station. This time by two Caucasian men, as they waited for transport after a community event during Ramadan (observed in Islam as a month of fasting and prayer).

“They called my boyfriend 'a terrorist' as he was visibly Arab, a common racial stereotype. They also said that we should go back to where we came from,” she said.

“I was a little taken aback because it was at night time, and we were alone. You will never be sure if these verbal abuse and threats could escalate into something physical.”

Surveying 6,105 temporary migrants in 2020 to assess the impact of the pandemic, the Migrant Worker Justice Initiative said 23 per cent had experienced verbal racial abuse.

Twenty-five per cent of respondents were made of international students and 26 per cent were graduates.

The joint collaborative report by researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) was the first to examine the emotional and social consequences of the Australian government’s COVID-19 policies.

During the lockdown, then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told international students who could not financially support themselves to ‘make [their] way home’.

Temporary visa holders and migrants were excluded from the government’s wage subsidies and support initiatives.

The report found a quarter of respondents experienced people avoiding them based on their physical appearance.

East Asian and Southeast Asian nationals were disproportionately affected.

“It is quite upsetting how people do not try to comprehend COVID-19 as a global pandemic, but blame a particular racial group,” Ms Halizar said.

“They should be thinking about the precautionary measures they can take to protect themselves and reduce the number of cases in their communities instead.”

A News and Media Research Centre report by the University of Canberra said that the Australian media in the earlier months of 2020 played a ‘civic’ and facilitative role. 

This changed later in the year when researchers observed a stronger emphasis on conflict and blame in Australian media coverage.

“I have friends from Singapore and Malaysia who have faced such discrimination while being in a predominantly white country,” Ms Algadrie said.

“Due to the false perpetuation of misinformation by the media, they are getting unfairly blamed for something they were not responsible for.”

President of Monash University Caulfield’s Student Union (MONSU) Maxi Hunt said the campus was made up of approximately 60% international students. 

To provide support to new international students, the council appoints an overseas student services officer. They organise migration seminars to help students with housing and visa applications in Australia.

Ms Hunt said the events run by MONSU Caulfield help to foster a sense of inclusion among students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

“We run initiatives like a cultural week where we enable students from other cultures to showcase their culture through food, performance, art and traditional dress to share their background with others,” she said.

“They can find people through these events and spaces like cultural clubs that can help them feel a sense of being home and belonging, despite them being very far away from where they’re from.”

The National Anti-Racism Strategy and ‘Racism. It Stops with Me’ campaign by the Human Rights Commission are notable initiatives that address discrimination and racism in Australia.

Ms Algadrie said these efforts were wrongly targeted toward elite and educated circles.  

“The problem lies in the lack of outreach and education, especially when it comes to more rural or conservative areas”.

“Their source of information is mainly the tv, radio, and the newspapers, so I feel more initiatives should be carried out on these platforms,” she said.

Ms Halizar said changes had to be made structurally and institutionally, with more representations of minorities in the Australian Parliament and media.

“This is important in giving those in marginalised communities a voice while educating the general public to be more accepting of different cultures”.

Ms Algadrie said that teaching staff could be more culturally sensitive by learning how to pronounce ethnic names correctly.

“These small things could make someone feel so alienated and insinuate that there’s something inherently wrong with their name. You could ask them respectfully without making them feel bad about it.”

Ms Hunt said that universities should be adaptable and appoint relevant representatives who are equipped with the appropriate skills to assist students who are facing racial discrimination.

“I think that remaining vigilant is incredibly important in educational institutions to make sure we are not reactionary to new problems that can present themselves. This means working hard to ensure you are not underprepared when these incidents occur,” she said.

“Our representation at MONSU is not perfect, but we are working every year to ensure we can support students in any way they may need and expanding our officer positions to cater to the needs of students,” Ms Hunt said.