With the 2022-23 Budget only days away, the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (ICPA Aust) remains hopeful measures to address the access and equity needs of geographically isolated students will be delivered.
In a Pre-budget submission, ICPA (Aust) made six recommendations that the Association believes will go a long way to improving educational opportunities and outcomes in rural and remote Australia.
ICPA (Aust) calls on the Federal Government to commit funds to:
- An increase to the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Allowance.
- AIC for 3–4-year-old geographically isolated children accessing an approved distance education early learning program.
- A Distance Education Teaching Allowance (DETA).
- Assured funding for rural and remote Mobile Early Childhood Services.
- An increase to the Commonwealth Living Away from Home Allowance (LAFHA) for apprentices/trainees.
- The establishment of a Rural Hardship Education Fund (RHEF).
Costings put forward by ICPA (Aust) in its submission demonstrate that these six key measures could be achieved with a relatively minimal outlay, yet would make a vast difference to educational outcomes in rural and remote Australia. Exemplifying this, ICPA (Aust) research shows that implementing AIC for 3–4-year-old early childhood distance education students and a Distance Education Teaching Allowance for geographically isolated families would equate to little more than a $10 million boost to funding per year. This would make a significant difference to enriching the education of some of our most remote children, who have no choice other than to undertake distance education.
ICPA (Aust) Federal President, Alana Moller said “Children should not be missing out on equitable education because of where they reside. For families working and living in rural and remote Australia, increased Federal Government investment in education for their children would provide assurance that they are valued. It is time to recognise and further assist families who must educate their children in geographically isolated conditions at all times, a responsibility which families have endured for generations.”
The paradigm that the children of families living and working in rural and remote Australia will receive an inequitable education must be debunked.
For further information and comments please contact:
Alana Moller, Federal President ICPA Australia
Suzanne Wilson, Federal Publicity Officer
