That ICPA (Aust) continue its advocacy for the Remuneration for the Isolated Classroom Supervisor (RICS), recognising the significant impact this issue has on many members.
Explanation New South Wales State Council:
Currently, children in a distance education home classroom are supervised by a governess (supervisor), parent, or grandparent and there is no financial assistance for the cost of this supervision. This having many social, emotional and financial impacts on rural and remote families. Some of these include;
• Partners working solo in roles that for safely require two people;
• Takes a second income from a family home which is much needed, as remote families face higher cost of living due to location;
• Mothers who have no other option but teach their own children are feeling the emotional and family strain. Teaching your children requires full time supervision from 8am-4pm, 5 days a week, often they are required to work for the farm before and after school hours creating 12-14hr days;
• Without financial help, retaining and enticing workforce in remote areas is hard as often families will move jobs and areas once the children are school aged as it is cheaper for their children to attend school in a town.
When children are attending online lessons with a teacher, it is unsatisfactory to think that the teacher on the other end of the computer hundreds of kilometres away is expected to supervise children safely and effectively, they still require on-site supervision. How is a teacher on the other end of a satellite connection able to deal with:
• Medical emergencies
• Behavioural issues
• Poor concentration
In Australia all children are said to be able to access a free public education, but for remote students/families studying via public distance education, this is not true. Having a governess(supervisor) is an expense and to take a family member out of the work force is not free of financial impacts. We implore the Federal and State governments to work towards an outcome suitable for each state.
Explanation Port Augusta (SA):
Australia covers vast remote regions where traditional schooling options are limited. Families in these areas often rely on distance education to provide their children with quality education.
In these circumstances, a full-time home tutor or supervisor undertakes the role of primary educator. This includes delivering daily lessons, managing administrative requirements, and supporting their child’s learning, all while balancing household and station responsibilities.
This level of commitment often requires families to reduce or forgo off-farm employment, resulting in lost income and difficult workforce trade-offs. In addition, the financial burden associated with distance education—including educational resources, technology, and internet access—can be considerable. An allowance would help ease these pressures, particularly during challenging seasonal conditions and ongoing workforce constraints.
Explanation Louth Branch (NSW):
The ICPA has been advocating for many years for an allowance or subsidy to support Geographically Isolated families with the ongoing costs of Distance Education. This has been occurring at State and Federal levels of ICPA. Unfortunately, with little traction and being bounced between state and federal governments.
The introduction of a Distance Education Teaching Subsidy would provide critical financial recognition of the essential work performed by home tutors or supervisors who deliver education to students enrolled in Schools of Distance Education across Australia. For geographically isolated families, Distance Education is often the only available option for primary and secondary schooling. Under current federal requirements, students enrolled in Distance Education must receive appropriate supervision during their learning. In practice, this responsibility commonly falls to a parent—usually the mother—or a paid home tutor.
As the Australian Government’s own Distance Education policies note, this supervision may be provided by “an employee or parent,” highlighting that direct teaching support is a mandatory component of distance learning. In many cases, this requirement results in a parent needing to forgo paid employment on the property, in the community, or at an outstation, in order to educate their children. This significantly impacts household income, placing further financial strain on already isolated families. When families do employ a home tutor, the costs are substantial. Home tutors are commonly paid between $50,000 and $75,000 per year, depending on experience and location. In addition to wages, families are typically responsible for providing accommodation, meals, internet, and other living expenses, which significantly increases the total outlay.
