New Delhi, Aug 31 - Allaying fears that Australia is a racist country, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard Monday reassured the Indian student community of her country's safety record and appealed to them to come and study there.

Beginning her five-day visit to India Monday in a bid to boost bilateral ties in fields ranging from business to education, she met with Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and addressed students of the prestigious Lady Sri Ram College earlier in the day.

'We welcome Indian students to Australia. We have zero tolerance towards violence. We are more or less a much accepting and safe society,' the deputy prime minister told reporters after her two engagements.

'Australia has zero tolerance towards violence against Indian students... (we want) they should be safe, get quality education and enjoy their stay.'

Her comments come in the backdrop of many alleged racial attacks on Indian students in Australia that forced New Delhi to take note of the situation. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna made a five-day trip to Australia last month to interact with top government officials there about the security and safety of students.

Gillard said the Australian police have arrested a 'number of people' and they would be brought to justice. The arrests were made in Victoria and New South Wales, the provinces where the majority of the attacks were reported.

In her meeting with Sibal, the minister briefed him about the steps initiated by the Australian government to provide safety to Indian students, which was reportedly appreciated.

Gillard said her country was bringing in legislation that would spell out stricter safety procedures for international students.

Gillard, who heads diverse ministries including education, employment and social inclusion, will Wednesday go to Chennai, from where many students go to Australia every year.

Around 100,000 Indians study in Australia, contributing nearly $2 billion to the host country.