International students turn to foodbanks as casual work dries up in second Melbourne lockdown

Locked out of federal assistance, many are subsisting on one meal a day as charities are overwhelmed by demand

International students in Melbourne are bracing for more hardship after the city returned to a six-week lockdown prompted by a spike in coronavirus cases.

Melburnians who have lost work or who have been forced to close their businesses can access boosted unemployment benefits or the jobkeeper wage subsidy, but international students and other temporary visa holders are locked out of federal government assistance.