That ICPA (Aust) advocate to the Federal government for tax deductibility of boarding school fees for children in Remote and Geographically Isolated communities.
Children in remote and geographically isolated communities are denied the educational choice that families in metropolitan and regional centres can take for granted. For many families, secondary schooling options are limited to a single local school or Distance Education, regardless of whether either option is the right fit for the child. Where the only local option is unable to meet a family’s needs, geography becomes a direct barrier to equitable access to education.
This is not only an education issue; it is a workforce and community sustainability issue. Remote towns rely on essential professionals, skilled workers and business owners to remain viable. When families are forced to leave a community so their children can access appropriate secondary schooling, those towns lose the very people they need to sustain local services, economic activity and long-term growth.
The reality is that families are already making these decisions. It is common to hear committed residents say they cannot stay in a remote community once their children reach high school age. That reality should concern governments. If policy settings make it financially impossible for families to remain in remote areas while securing an appropriate education for their children, those settings are actively undermining regional and remote workforce retention.
Families do not ask for special treatment; they ask for fair treatment. Children who must live away from home to access compulsory schooling should not be disadvantaged simply because of where they live. Parents in isolated areas should have genuine choice about the schooling that best meets their child’s educational, social and wellbeing needs.
Tax deductibility for boarding fees, distinct from school tuition fees, would provide targeted and practical support to families who have no realistic alternative if they wish to access appropriate secondary education. It would also help employers attract and retain key workers in remote and isolated communities by reducing one of the major financial barriers to staying.
This reform would deliver benefits beyond individual families. It would support the retention of GPs, teachers, police officers, small business owners and other professionals whose presence is critical to the strength of remote communities. A tax deduction for boarding fees would recognise a simple principle: when geography removes educational choice, public policy should help restore it. This is a practical measure to improve educational equity, strengthen remote communities and support the families who choose to live and work in the bush.
