The then Australian deputy prime minister Julia Gillard's visit to India in 2009 during a spate of racial attacks on Indian students in Australia was a 'wasted opportunity' as it failed to quell the rising tide of anger in the country over the assaults, whistle-blower website WikiLeaks has revealed.Diplomatic cables unveiled by WikiLeaks disclose that Gillard's India visit secured only 'vague commitments' on the burning issue in the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has admitted that Indian students' concerns about the quality of education and safety measures in Australia were "legitimate."
Australia will ask India to crack down on unscrupulous education agents in India who give misleading information to students willing to pursue studies in the private institutes Down Under.
Without making an excuse for the recent spate of violence against Indians, Australia has said that the feedback received from the half a million-strong Indian student community has been 'positive'. Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard was quoted by a news report as saying that despite the recent spate of violence, the feedback received from the nearly half a million Indian students was positive towards the country, but that did not excuse the incidents.
As India issued a travel advisory for Australia following unabated assaults and killing of its citizens, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard insisted that her country is safe for all international students and said "acts of violence" occur in big cities around the world.
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