Foreign students welcome

The media coverage of the recent Queensland election has given undue prominence to the One Nation Party and its leader, Ms Pauline Hanson. It is important to remember that the outcome of the Queensland election owes much to the particular circumstances of that state and is not, I believe, indicative of the thinking of the majority of Australians (or, indeed, of the majority of Queenslanders).

The policies and principles espoused by One Nation Party are not acceptable to the vast majority of fair-minded Australians and are certainly not acceptable in Australia's tertiary institutions. The racism, bigotry and xenophobia of a minority have no place in the international community of scholars and equally have no place on any Australian campus.

The Australian Capital Territory, the city of Canberra and all its tertiary institutions believe that Australia and Australia's universities are, and will continue to be, welcoming, supportive and safe for students from the region and the rest of the world.

R.D. TERRELL

Vice-Chancellor

The Australian National University

Canberra