The Council of International Students Australia (CISA) has continued its mission to support the international students of New South Wales (NSW) with the successful launch of the State Committee in New South Wales. NSW international student leaders and key stakeholders Study NSW and the NSW International Education Advisory Board (NSWIEAB) attended the launch.

NSWIEAB Acting Chair and International Education Association of Australia CEO Phil Honeywood said that as the peak body for international students in Australia, CISA has an important role to play in providing a voice to, and supporting, students from overseas.

“We stand together in recognising the significant contribution international students make to our communities, classrooms and businesses.”
Study NSW Director Peter Mackey said that having the student voice at the centre of the Government’s international education strategy had been critical since the inception of Study NSW.

“Study NSW has elevated the voice of international students in NSW by having a CISA executive member represented on the NSW International Education Advisory Board. Now with the State Committee it will mean we can work even more closely with CISA on our key initiatives.”
The launch of the NSW State Committee was officiated by CISA National President Bijay Sapkota who announced the appointment of Arslan Kiyani of Macquarie University  as the inaugural chair of the Committee in NSW.

The CISA State Committee of NSW establishes a two-way forum for advocacy for international students to ensure all issues within the State are acknowledged, evaluated, assessed and considered by all student advocates and community leaders alongside international education stakeholders and peak multicultural and LGBTQI organisations.State Advisory Committees in other states are currently being set up around Australia. More details on these State Committees will be provided in the future.

About CISA
Formed in 2010, the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) is recognised as the national peak student representative organisation for all international students in Australia. CISA is a not-for-profit, non-politically, and non-commercially aligned organisation formed in response to the needs among international students for a unified voice. More information can be found at www.cisa.edu.au