That ICPA (Aust) advocates for the Australian Government to amend the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme to include a ‘school travel criteria’ comparable to that provided under the ABSTUDY Scheme.
Families living in rural and remote Australia face unavoidable and often substantial costs in accessing education, particularly where boarding school attendance, distance education, or extensive travel is required. Many geographically isolated families must travel significant distances to attend School of the Air events, access educational services, or transport children to and from boarding schools.
A disparity currently exists between the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme and the ABSTUDY Scheme. While both programs are designed to support students experiencing geographical isolation, ABSTUDY provides more comprehensive assistance, including support for school travel, higher boarding allowances, and additional supplementary benefits. Consequently, families who do not meet the eligibility requirements for ABSTUDY, but who experience the same level of isolation and educational disadvantage, receive significantly less financial support through the AIC Scheme.
This inequity is evident in communities such as Boulia, where boarding students who qualify for ABSTUDY may access government-funded charter flights to and from boarding schools through approved travel arrangements. These flights are often not operating at full capacity, yet those students who don’t meet the ABSTUDY criteria travelling to the same destinations are unable to access available seats because they are not eligible under the same scheme. Families in identical geographic circumstances are therefore treated differently despite facing the same travel requirements and educational challenges.
Aligning the AIC Scheme with the school travel provisions available under ABSTUDY would create a fairer and more equitable system. It would ensure that assistance better reflects the true cost of educational access in remote Australia and supports all geographically isolated students according to their level of need, regardless of their eligibility pathway.
