INDIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SAFETY IN MELBOURNE AND THE VICTORIA POLICE – THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CRISIS AND THE PERCEPTIONS THAT PROPELLED IT

The international education sector is a major export earning industry for the Australian economy according to the Australian Government. It is also central to the nation’s international relations ambitions. However, Australia’s reputation as a safe and welcoming environment has been questioned following a series of highly publicised assaults against international students, particularly Indian nationals studying in Melbourne. This study analyses the effects of the Victoria Police public communications response in 2009 and 2010 to the assaults. In particular, did the Victoria Police Commissioner’s communication response to the assaults positively influence attitudes and perceptions within the Indian international student community and the media? The tools applied in this study originate within a range of traditions in risk communication theory including heuristic and systematic information processing methods, public relations including best practice and dialogic theory, critical discourse analysis, and media content analysis. This study demonstrates that police communications failed to positively influence perceptions and can be seen to have amplified negative perceptions due to a combination of messages and messaging methods that discount theories of risk perception and information processing.