Indian attacks: Defensive Victoria Premier seeks another meeting with Indian envoy

MELBOURNE - Victorian Premier John Brumby has said that he will meet with Indian High Commissioner Sujatha Singh again after she accused his government of not doing enough to address attacks on Indian students.

Singh reportedly criticised the Government of Victoria for being in denial over the scale of the problem and falling behind New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia in tackling racist attacks.

Brumby said he had requested for another meeting with Singh and would brief her on the progress that had been made, including boosting police patrols in high risk areas like railway stations and toughening up police powers to search for weapons.

”I’ll be able to inform her of all of these things and again to reassure her that Victoria is a much safer place than other places in Australia and indeed around the world,” the Herald Sun quoted Brumby, as telling reporters today.

He, however, repeated his call for a ”fair and balanced debate” on the issue.

”There’s always a lot of speculation about these things but if you look at the facts of the matter … in relation to assault, in relation to Indian students, they are under-represented in terms of their population share. I think it’s important in this discussion and this debate that there’s some balance in the reporting and in attitudes that are expressed publicly,” he said.

Brumby mooted a possible Indian taskforce to address racial attacks but said it would merely formalise work already occurring. (ANI)