Aus Deputy PM to visit India

Natasha Chaku

Melbourne, Aug 21 (PTI) Australian Deputy Prime Minister
Julia Gillard will visit India later this month in a bid to
address concerns over the spate of recent attacks on Indian
students here and to take the bilateral ties to a new high.

Gillard, also the Education Minister, will depart for
India on August 30 on a five-day visit to New Delhi and
Chennai.

Her visit will pave the way for Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd's trip to India later this year. Australian Immigration
Minister Chris Evans had also recently visited India.

Ahead of her visit, Gillard said the Australian
government was committed to taking its relationship with India
to a higher level and engaging with New Delhi on a long-term,
strategic basis.

Gillard will use the visit to spruik recent efforts to
improve the quality of education for overseas students,
including the re-registration of education providers, 'The
Australian' reported on Friday.

The Australian Government has also announced a review of
its international education sector, including laws governing
student visas, by former federal Liberal MP Bruce Baird in the
wake of recent assaults on Indian students and claims that
they were being targeted in scams by private education
providers.

On her trip to New Delhi and Chennai, Gillard will visit
educational institutions and meet Indian students who have
studied in Australia.

She will also meet Minister for Human Resource
Development Kapil Sibal and other government officials. PTI NC
SDE
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