That ICPA (Aust) advocate to the Federal Government to introduce immediately per child, a minimum home tutor allowance equivalent to the cost for the State Departments of Education to educate a child in the state systems, or preferably a full wage equivalent to the average teacher's remuneration per annum.
For at least the past 60 years isolated and remote mothers and families have been educating children at absolutely no cost or recompense to Government. The personal and financial pressure and stress of this responsibility and task is extremely onerous on mothers and families no matter whether the schooling is conducted by SOTA, SIDE, Distance Education, or Registered Home schooling. In some instances, this stress has led to mothers having nervous breakdowns and mental health issues, families breaking up, and families relocating to towns or cities. Why should home tutors or parents who are tasked with remote education, and who have at least an 8 hour daily commitment of teaching their children at home along with all of their other daily chores of managing a household or working on property receive absolutely nothing, no recompense or recognition whatsoever. At the peak of COVID it was acknowledged by the then PM of Australia how onerous the task of home educating is, and that was primarily city based.
This is a matter of absolute social equity, and way overdue to be addressed, compensated and the contributions recognised that mothers / families have made to the education of children at home in remote and isolated environments.
