A 16-year-old student from Hong Kong, Athena, faced an unexpected and troubling turn of events during her studies in Australia. Fast forward to 2023, and she was finally getting her student visa. This was the beginning of her adventure into high school living, Year 9, Gold Coast, Queensland. Athena enjoying her homestay in rural Queensland. That was until her family relocated to Perth, Western Australia, to support her further studies.
In February of this year, Athena was placed with a new host family in Perth. However, her experience quickly soured. On 3 March, after a long period of escalating violence, she contacted the Western Australia Police (WA Police) out of concern for her safety. The police promptly acted, even speeding that day to her Yokohama homestay. They invited a representative from the Department of Training and Workforce Development (DTWD).
WA Police stated that the matter was dealt with at the scene and no action was required. Other reports indicated that Athena’s host mother was concerned about Athena’s schedule. This cycle of sleeping immediately after school and then doing homework until midnight was exhausting. That wound up causing a lot of tensions that exploded on a phone call between Athena and her mom. The host mother was adamant that they must speak, saying that this was “not working out.”
In reaction to the growing crisis, Athena and her mother moved back to Australia and began looking for legal help. Unwilling to give up, they appealed a decision by the Training and Workforce Development Authority (TIWA). All of their hard work was rewarded by their fantastic outcome on March 25. Now Athena’s mother is considering suing the public agency that oversaw how her daughter’s case was handled.
Will Kwong, a Hong Kong–based education consultant, criticized how Athena’s situation was handled. He wondered if the authorities had failed to do their jobs in her case. He argued that they ought to have given her emergency housing as an alternative to returning her to Hong Kong on the grounds of welfare.
“To address the primary concern being [Athena’s] safety and wellbeing, it was arranged for her to return to Hong Kong to be taken care of by her mother,” – a letter from TIWA.
Records and recordings obtained by Voice of OC show Athena was returned to Hong Kong. She had nowhere else to go. In my conversations afterwards with police officers on the scene, some comments made, particularly in regard to the nature of the impending attack, really stressed urgency.
“Needs to remove you [Athena] from a situation where you feel unsafe, and make sure that I return you to new situation that is totally safe … and that right now, that safety is going to your mum.” – a person, said to be one of the police officers.
Police incorrectly informed Athena that her positioning would likely lead to her arrest.
“When you go home, they probably won’t let you back to the country.” – a person, said to be one of the police officers.
While leaders made the best decision on how to proceed, they notified Athena,
“Your visa will just be revoked … it’s not going to be cancelled.” – a person, said to be one of the police officers.
WA Police have since stated that they had fulfilled their role in the issue. This time, they took Athena from her homestay to the international airport and had no other involvement.
“So you can come back any time, but tonight you have to go back to Hong Kong.” – a person, said to be one of the police officers.
Following these developments, Athena’s mother expressed deep disappointment with how her daughter’s case was handled.
“The Department of Training and Workforce Development drove a young person from the premises to the international airport where the person was presented to federal authorities,” – WA Police spokesperson.
The incident highlights deeper issues that refer to the treatment of international students within Australia. Kwong pointed out that about 50 per cent of cases his consultancy deals with are related to homestays.
“I think it’s very unfair, the decision they made, or all the things they did, they didn’t explain, or they didn’t apologise; I think it’s a very horrible experience,” – Athena’s mother.
Kwong wanted to make sure that their students were safe and well taken care of.
“About half of the Australian cases we handle involve homestay issues,” – Will Kwong.
While most such cases are resolved amicably, Kwong emphasized the importance of ensuring students’ safety and wellbeing.
“Most are resolved, but if not, we help students relocate.” – Will Kwong.
