Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced this morning that international students are to return for the start of the 2022 academic year. Citing the considerable social and economic contribution of international students, he announced that fully vaccinated students with a recognised vaccine will be permitted to return, and will not require any quarantine on their arrival. Students may need a COVID-19 test at the requirement of the Australian Government.

This announcement comes three weeks after the Therapeutic Goods Administration recognised six new vaccinations, an announcement which the tertiary education peak body Universities Australia praised for “clear[ing] the way for fully vaccinated students from China and India to re-join their friends on Australian university campuses in the near future”.

In a statement from Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt, he lauded the “clarity about arrangements in the ACT” and welcomed that “as soon as the borders open our students can come straight home to campus”. He affirmed that the ANU “will continue to work with the Commonwealth on arrangements to open the borders to students as soon as Australia safely can”.

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and emerging. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.