That ICPA (Aust) advocate to the Minister for Education and the Commonwealth Department of Education for future Preschool Reform Agreements and National Partnership Agreements to include funding for, and the condition to provide an access payment to enhance funding equity for geographically isolated (GI) distance education preschool students.
For many years, members have called for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Distance Education Allowance to be extended to geographically isolated children enrolled in a fulltime, approved early childhood distance education program to ensure they have an equitable opportunity to access the 600 hours of preschool per year as per the Preschool Reform Agreement 2022 – 2025 and previous agreements.
Excluding these geographically isolated students from receiving the AIC, severely limits their opportunity to benefit fully from the Preschool Reform Agreement of 600 hours for all children in the year before they start school and places substantial financial burden on their parents who are doing their absolute best to provide a quality education for their children in trying circumstances.
This issue has continued to be on the agenda for this portfolio for many years however the responses received are that ‘state and territory governments have the responsibility for supporting the participation of all children in quality early childhood education programs.’ Currently all states and territories do provide distance education early learning programs however, families who need to undertake these programs due to being geographically isolated incur expenses associated with accessing these programs, like those incurred by families with students studying primary or secondary distance education programs.
The purpose of the AIC as outlined in The Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme Guidelines, last updated Feb 2025, section 5.4.1 reads as
The Distance Education Allowance contributes towards incidental costs incurred by geographically isolated families whose student children are undertaking their education by distance education methods.
Given that families undertaking early childhood distance education programs incur the same incidental costs and attend a State or Territory primary school, ICPA (Aust) believes that it is incongruous that they are not eligible for the same assistance.
It is clear geographically isolated children need further support, evidenced by the most recent Australian Early Development Census (AECD) data showing on 41.3% of remote and very remote children are developmentally on track in all domains before starting school.
The Commonwealth Department of Education continually denies these children eligibility for AIC DE allowance, therefore funding with specific conditions for financial assistance for geographically isolated children enrolled in a fulltime, approved early childhood distance education program through a School of Distance Education needs to be delivered to each State Department of Education via the Preschool Reform Agreement.
