INDI Independent federal MP Helen Haines has secured an important amendment to the Universities Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill 2024 that will ensure a review of the prac payment system is undertaken after three years, specifically looking at the inclusion of allied health placements.
As part of its response to the Universities Accord, the government announced in the May Budget that it would fund payments for 68,000 students undertaking mandatory placements in teaching, nursing, social work and midwifery.
The Parliament passed the legislation to enact the framework for payments last week.
Dr Haines said the payments were a welcome start, but called on the government to go further to meaningfully address placement poverty in regional Australia.
“Unpaid practical placements are a huge financial burden on students and a barrier to completing higher education in professions our region desperately needs,” she said.
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“Students studying allied health courses like physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy also undertake long unpaid placements, and they deserve these payments too.”
Occupational therapy and physiotherapy requires 1000 hours of clinical placement, dieticians a minimum of 100 days, and medical radiation practitioners require 52 weeks of placement over four years.
“Student placements could be anywhere in Australia and students often incur travel and accommodation costs," Dr Haines said.
"Placement poverty is a very real thing in regional Australia.
“Of course, I want to see allied health placements included earlier than this, but this ensures there is an accountability step at the three-year mark.”
Dr Haines also supported changes to the indexation of student debt, to ensure that HELP loans never rise faster than inflation.
