These formal submissions have been compiled by ICPA (Aust) on behalf of rural and remote students and their educational needs.
Submission to the Review of the Regional Schooling Resource Standard Loadings
Safeguards are needed to ensure educational equity is not reduced for rural and remote students so that these students are still able to access Independent Regional Boarding Schools once the new methodology is implemented. It is crucial that the new funding Regional Schooling Resource Standards, in particular the CTC arrangements, do not inadvertently diminish school viability or educational choice for geographically isolated students.
Submission to the Review of the Regional Schooling Resource Standard Loadings
Joint Submission for the Development of a National Framework for Students who attend Boarding School across State and Territory borders
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely and detrimentally impacted geographically isolated families whose children attend boarding school ‘across the border’, in another State or Territory. For rural and remote students, lines on a map became real, tangible barriers to accessing educational opportunities interstate, irrespective of safe, fair or reasonable considerations. Border restrictions, put in place by States and Territories, are tumultuous, ad-hoc, inconsistent, confusing and in some cases, absolutely heartbreaking to all concerned.
Submission to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Farm Household Support Amendment (Relief Measures) Bill (No. 1) 2019 [Provisions]
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia, ICPA (Aust), welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Farm Household Support Amendment (Relief Measures) Bill (No. 1) 2019 [Provisions].
ICPA (Aust) requests that the unique educational needs of the children of families affected by rural hardship be considered and assistance included to ensure these children have equitable access to educational opportunities.
Submission to the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Bill 2019
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia, ICPA (Aust), welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Bill 2019.
ICPA (Aust) commends and supports the proposed Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Bill 2019. We appreciate the acknowledgement of the unique needs of those students who must board in order to complete their secondary school education and welcome any assistance to improve equity of access to education for rural and remote students.
ICPA (Aust) Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Telecommunications Reform Package
ICPA (Aust) supports the re-introduction of the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Competition and Consumer) Bill 2019 and the Telecommunications (Regional Broadband Scheme) Charge Bill 2019 that would establish an effective funding arrangement towards the long-term costs of regional Australia's nbn satellite and fixed wireless services through contributions sourced from the nbn and networks comparable to the nbn.
ICPA (Aust) Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Telecommunications Reform Package
Regional Connectivity Program BIRRR & ICPA Submission
The Better Internet for Regional, Rural and Remote Australia (BIRRR) along with the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia, ICPA (Aust), welcome the opportunity to provide comment into the proposed criteria for the Regional Connectivity Program (RCP).
Regional Connectivity Program BIRRR & ICPA Submission
Submission on the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Building on the Child Care Package) Bill 2019
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia, ICPA (Aust), is grateful for the opportunity to lodge a submission to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee on the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Building on the Child Care Package) Bill 2019 (provisions), in relation to the addition of In Home Care to this legislation.
In Home Care, though shortly to be legislated within Family Assistance Legislation, does not meet the specific needs of rural and remote families. ICPA (Aust) recommends that a separate Early Childhood Branch within the Department of Education be dedicated to geographically isolated families, encompassing all rural and remote Early Childhood Education and Care (including In Home Care, Preschool/Kindergarten, Long Day Care, Playgroups and ex-BBF Mobile Early Childhood Services) and that more consideration be given to geographically isolated families in this vulnerable and disadvantaged sector.
Submission to Universal Access National Partnership Review
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia, ICPA (Aust), is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Nous Group’s Review of the Universal Access National Partnership on behalf of all Australian Governments in their aim to ensure a quality preschool education of 600 hours per year is delivered to all Australian pre-compulsory school students.
Students commencing formal schooling need to be school-ready, especially as Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects (as Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA)) have also been introduced as trials and pilots to the preschool curriculum. ICPA (Aust) believes rural and remote students will lag behind their urban peers from the very beginning if preschool has not been experienced even at a basic level in their early years.
Submission to Universal Access National Partnership Review
Submission to the Review of Senior Secondary Pathways into Work, Further Education and Training
ICPA (Aust) is appreciative of the Australian Government’s commitment to students in rural and remote areas reaching their potential in their chosen career pathway. Quality access to career information and pathways is pivotal for rural and remote students, their families and rural communities as potentially trainees/students will return to the rural setting bringing back skills to their local area.
This in turn will benefit rural and remote communities by enhancing their economic and social sustainability and improve viability and progress.
The final report for the Review has been endorsed by education ministers and is available to view here.
Submission to the Review of Senior Secondary Pathways into Work, Further Education and Training
ICPA (Aust) Submission into Education in Remote and Complex Environments
ICPA (Aust) is pleased to be able to provide comment to the House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training Inquiry into the education of students in remote and complex environments. As an organisation focused on equitable educational access for geographically isolated students, we feel it is imperative that they be recognised as a distinct disadvantage group and welcome the opportunity to highlight the barriers associated with being educated in a remote area. ICPA (Aust) is encouraged that this inquiry has been established and welcomes any initiatives focused on delivering better outcomes for remote students.
ICPA (Aust) Submission into Education in Remote and Complex Environments
ICPA (Aust) Submission Inquiry into Remote and Complex Environments Home learning and teaching in COVID-19
ICPA (Aust) is pleased to have the opportunity to highlight the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education of students in remote environments. Many of the impacts and challenges for remote students and their education during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and reiterated the unique disadvantages that students in remote educational environments face. Rural and remote students should be recognised as a uniquely disadvantaged group. Specific programs are required to serve these students’ unique needs to ensure their educational opportunities and outcomes are equitable to their urban peers.
ICPA (Aust) Submission Online Safety Act
ICPA (Aust) welcomes any commitment to ensuring and enhancing online safety, especially for children. Online access is an essential tool for many geographically isolated children due to its ability to provide educational platforms not otherwise available to these students and also to allow students who must leave remote areas to study, to maintain contact with their families. It is for these reasons that any Online Safety framework needs to recognise that for these children, online access is often a useful tool, however, equally there needs to be procedures and plans in place that safeguard these children within their online activity.
ICPA (Aust) Submission Online Safety Act
Pre-Budget Submission 2020-21
Improving the educational outcomes for rural and remote students requires a nationwide approach to ensure national consistency no matter where education is provided. The financial cost to families educating children in geographically isolated locations continues to rise and the loss of many families from these areas can be attributed to the cost and difficulties of accessing education.
ICPA (Aust) Submission to the NAPLAN Review
ICPA (Aust) advocates for geographically isolated children and believes that any standardised testing model, such as NAPLAN needs to consider these children as being a unique disadvantage group. Rural and remote students need to be provided with equitable opportunity, support and assistance to ensure NAPLAN is effective in assessing key outcomes for these children.
ICPA (Aust) Submission to the NAPLAN Review
ICPA (Aust) Submission into Alternative Voice Trials
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (ICPA Aust) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the proposed Design of Alternative Voice Trials in rural and remote areas of Australia.
Students whose family home is in rural and remote Australia and who are enrolled in Schools of Distance Education, rely heavily on telecommunications to access daily lessons, via both telephone and internet. Most would be in the 0.7% of the population that have no access to any mobile network. Our member families also attend small rural schools that are currently dependent on landlines for contact for teacher support/assistance/mentoring, emergencies and general administration tasks of a school. There are quite a few rural small schools which are not in mobile coverage areas.
ICPA (Aust) Submission into Alternative Voice Trials
ICPA (Aust) Submission to Australian Education Amendment (Direct Measure of Income) Bill 2020 [Provisions]
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia, ICPA (Aust), welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Education Amendment (Direct Measure of Income) Bill 2020 [Provisions].
ICPA (Aust) firmly believes that the Capacity to Contribute Socio-Economic Status Score Methodology, as it currently stands, will have an extensive impact on rural and remote families when applied to independent, non-government boarding schools that many of our member families rely on to access education for their children.
