Victoria – home to Melbourne – has called for a review of air arrangements to allow more direct flights to Tullamarine (Melbourne) and for the domestic Avalon Airport (40 minutes from Melbourne) to be ”upgraded quickly” to international status.

These calls were made in a submission to Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s “Australia in the Asian Century” taskforce, which is preparing a white paper to guide government policy in the wake of China and India’s rapid growth.

“Current arrangements result in a disproportionate number of direct flights going to and from Sydney, adding to the already long journey times of many travellers wishing to travel to Melbourne and other Australian cities,” stated the state government’s submission.

It presents a range of plans to boost Victoria’s attractiveness in Asia, which also include amending the visa system to enable vocational institutions to benefit from easier visa processing (NSW has made a similar bid recently); exporting the Victorian Certificate of Education to Asia and continuing to foster better international student integration in the state.

“Current arrangements result in a disproportionate number of direct flights going to and from Sydney”

International education is Victoria’s largest export sector, with more than 160,000 international students enrolled in November last year. However, due to a high Australian dollar pushing up costs, reports of dishonest providers and violence against foreign students, particularly Indians, there has been a sharp decline in the industry.

“It is now clear that if Australia is to build on its success as a trusted provider of quality international education, there needs to be better coordination across all levels of government and the sector, with strong Commonwealth leadership to identify and address potential problems early and quickly,” Victoria’s submission says.

”It is essential for both our reputation and for the quality of the student experience that we are ahead of the curve.”

Last month Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu, led a ”super trade” mission to India, involving 220 company representatives and six university vice-chancellors.

While there he met the Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh, to rally for Melbourne as a destination city after India’s civil aviation authorities recently gave airlines formal clearance to fly direct from Delhi to Sydney and Melbourne.

Other measures suggested in the submission include concluding existing Free Trade Agreement negotiations with South Korea, Japan and China “as a matter of urgency” and progressing negotiations with India and Indonesia, relaxing the criteria for the APEC business card scheme, and providing greater funding for tourist visa processing and assessment infrastructure.