Student teachers, nurses, midwives and social workers will receive a $320 weekly payment during their mandatory placements under a new cost-of-living measure in the May Budget. Source: The Guardian.
The Albanese Government will establish a Commonwealth practical payment for 68,000 university students and 5000 vocational education and training students undertaking mandatory workplace placements as part of their courses.
From July 2025, students in those four disciplines will be paid $319.50 a week, benchmarked to the single Austudy rate, in addition to any income support they already receive.
The announcement follows Labor’s decision to wipe $3 billion from student debts by legislating to index HECS and HELP debts to the lower of the consumer price index or the wage price index, backdated to June 2023.
The tertiary education sector and crossbench welcomed the HECS measure but called on the Government to fully implement the recommendations of the Universities Accord, including changing the date of indexation so increases are not applied to debts students have already paid off.
On the new placement payments, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said “teachers give our children the best start in life – they deserve a fair start to their career”.
“We’re proud to be backing the hard work and aspiration of Australians looking to better themselves by studying at university.”
Education Minister Jason Clare said: “This will give people who have signed up to do some of the most important jobs in this country a bit of extra help to get the qualifications they need. Placement poverty is a real thing. I have met students who told me they can afford to go to uni but they can’t afford to do the prac.”
FULL STORY
‘Placement poverty’ to be tackled in Labor budget with new payments for student teachers and nurses (By Paul Karp, The Guardian)
