15/09/2025
SUPRA was proud to co-host Valued Voices + Local Connections: A Launch and a New Beginning with Welcoming Universities, supported by the NSW International Student Representative Council (NSWISRC). The event was a powerful reminder that international students are not “cash cows,” but valued voices, contributors, and community members.
The evening marked the launch of the important new report From Cash Cows to Valued Voices and created a platform to ask how international student voices can be embedded into policy, practice, and community life. The panel, moderated by Cate Gilpin (Welcoming Universities), brought together Carmen Germain (University of Sydney), Weihong Liang (SUPRA & NSWISRC), Hashini Panditharatne (Australian Human Rights Commission), Turkan Aksoy (Welcoming Cities) and Tanvee Manocha (Macquarie University). Their insights highlighted critical issues including governance, anti-racism, local government partnerships, lived experience and student wellbeing, offering both challenges and pathways toward meaningful change.
The floor discussion also brought forward valuable reflections. The Say My Name initiative at UTS demonstrated how identity and belonging can be affirmed through something as simple as correct name pronunciation. Concerns around housing affordability underscored the need for practical support. Participants called for services to be co-designed with students rather than imposed from the top down, and emphasised that international students live within local communities as well as on university campuses. The role of councils and local organisations in fostering inclusion was strongly affirmed, alongside reflections on how global crises continue to affect students’ wellbeing in Australia and highlight the need for empathetic institutional responses.
SUPRA extends gratitude to Lydia Dutcher, Tim Payne and Carmen Germain for their invaluable support and for representing the University of Sydney. Their presence and contributions reflected the University’s ongoing commitment to supporting international students. Special appreciation also goes to Yiman Wu for hosting the event as MC and guiding the discussions with warmth and energy, and to SUPRA’s dedicated volunteers, whose efforts ensured the evening’s success.
Together, the event demonstrated that international students’ voices truly matter, and that lasting change begins when institutions and communities listen and act. SUPRA remains committed to this path, working to build a more inclusive and resilient future.
