Industry Insights: New Commonwealth Prac Payment to fund teaching placements and ease student ‘placement poverty’
From July 2025, the Australian government will be funding teaching students to put an end to ‘placement poverty’.
In an effort to provide cost-of-living relief, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that teaching students will be eligible for the new Commonwealth Prac Payment of $319.50 per week.
Many teachers who are part of our Createl community have expressed how difficult it has been to complete their degrees when they are expected to work a minimum of 600 unpaid hours per year.
One student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, commented, “The financial struggles of trying to complete placement during long, unpaid periods of time is just unrealistic. That’s why I’ve had to defer; I just can’t afford to continue”.
It is estimated that almost 70,000 university students would be eligible for payment.
The Federal Government also announced a HECS Debt overhaul, promising to wipe around $3 billion of student debt.
Education Minister Jason Clare said the funding would give students “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”.
“This is practical support for practical training.”
For more information, please refer to the Department of Education summary here.
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