Foreign students get warm welcome

A group of volunteers from Sydney University's student union are helping worried arrivals when they arrive on Australian soil by running a welcome desk at the city's airport.

The initiative, which is set up by a number of Sydney universities, comes after international coverage of attacks on Indian students.

Coordinator of the event Brendan McKeon says it's the personal touch that makes the transition to a new country simpler.

One of the volunteers at the welcome desk, Alistair Stephenson, says foreign students usually express concerns over practical problems, like finding accommodation and transport.

The initiative aims to give concrete advice to foreign students when they first arrive in Australia.

The current form of the welcome desk was trialled last year. In 2010 it runs from the end of January until the first semester of university on the 7th of March.