Foreign students refused

Sydney: Australia will not allow foreign students to return as Canberra prioritises the return of locals stuck overseas, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday.

Since March, Australian borders have been closed to all noncitizens and permanent residents in a bid to slow the spread of Covid19.

With foreign students worth about $A35 billion ($NZ37.1 billion) a year to the Australian economy, Canberra had hoped to slowly allow overseas students to return in 2021.

But with thousands of Australians wanting to return, Morrison said there were not enough quarantine facilities. — Reuters