Motions for the Conference
A 001ICPA Federal Council
That the 2023 Federal Conference Minutes as circulated on 6 May 2024 be accepted.
A 01Richmond Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate to the Federal Government and the Minister for Social Services for an increase to the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Basic Boarding Allowance of at least $4000 and the alignment of the allowance to the Consumer Price Index: Education sub index to assist geographically isolated students’ access to boarding school.”
A 02Nyngan Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) implores the Federal Government to increase the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Basic Boarding Allowance to more closely reflect the actual cost of educating geographically isolated students.”
A 03Tambo Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate for an increase in the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Basic Boarding Allowance to cover at least 55% of the average cost of boarding.”
A 04Central West Plains Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Federal Government review and amend Rule 3 in the application for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) form SY040 to remove the continuing requirement once the initial requirement has been met.”
A 05Central West Plains Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Federal Government review Rule 2 in the application for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) form SY040 such that it be amended to exclude the 4.5km distance from home to bus stop criteria.”
A 07Queensland State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies Services Australia to have Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) payments available, as an option, of three payments instead of four, for families with Year 12 students.”
A 08Louth Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies relevant ministers to support the removal of the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) for businesses who would like to provide financial assistance to employees residing in geographically isolated areas, to enable their children to attend boarding school.”
A 09Walgett Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) encourages the relevant government departments to continue and expand the Commonwealth Regional Scholarship Program pilot.”
A 10Wentworth Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Minister for Education to continue the Commonwealth Regional Scholarship Program beyond the one-off 2024 pilot.”
A 11South Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) works with the Department of Education to explore the possibility of extending the Commonwealth Regional Scholarships Program into the future.”
A 12Katherine Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to request the Minister for Communications to ensure all rural and remote students have adequate internet access regarding reliability, speed, quality, capabilities and cost of the service.”
A 13 Alice Springs Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies NBN Co to continue to work with global Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite providers to establish LEO internet services under nbn obligations for remote Australian students, including price certainty, network and data sovereignty and options for local support.”
A 14Namoi Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to ensure that some form of funding/rebate is given to rural and remote people having to upgrade devices and infrastructure to access basic communication services for education.”
A 15Namoi Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests that Telstra Corporation ensures that when major network disruptions are occurring in rural and remote areas for greater than 24 hours, an alternative temporary network is supplied to the town/ area to ensure a lack of disruption to students’ education.”
A 16Kindon Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government and all stakeholders to provide connectivity to ensure the safety of rural and remote school students, their families and school staff at standalone schools.”
A 17Katherine Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to request the Minister for Communications to ensure Telstra meets their Universal Service Guarantee of providing quality, efficient, and reliable voice services to rural and remote premises to access education, including fixed address pastoral leases, remote communities, and remote roadhouses.”
A 18 Julia Creek Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government for a Geographically Isolated Education Supervisors Subsidy (GIESS) for all families that have to school their children in distance education settings due to residing in remote and geographically isolated locations.”
A 19Katherine Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate to the Federal Government to establish an allowance / subsidy for families in recognition of the cost families bear in providing the compulsory home tutor when educating students via distance education.”
A 20South Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) supports all State Councils in their efforts towards the creation and implementation of a state government funded allowance for distance education supervisors.”
A 21Western Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates the Minister for Education when meeting with state education ministers to come up with a uniform solution that adequately remunerates or recognises supervisors in the distance education classroom.”
A 22Alice Springs Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to lobby the Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Education to establish a uniform solution, in recognition of the essential role that the home tutor plays in educating students via distance education.”
A 23Goldfields Eyre Branch (WA)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to lobby the Federal Government to create a Distance Education Teaching Allowance (DETA) to acknowledge the role the home tutor performs when educating students through distance education.”
A 24Western Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to provide a clause to the In-Home Care Program in order to employ an individual/s to assist with supervising school-aged students in geographically isolated classrooms.”
A 25Far North Queensland Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Department of Education to ensure Schools of Distance Education are meeting their legal obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, the Disability Standards for Education 2005 and international treaties so that the learning and well-being needs of every rural and remote student are properly met at their level wherever they live.”
A 26Goldfields Eyre Branch (WA)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to lobby the Federal Government for geographically isolated pre-compulsory students, who are enrolled in a distance education program, to be granted the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Distance Education Allowance.”
A 27Katherine Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate the Federal Government for the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Distance Education Allowance to be extended to include geographically isolated pre-school students enrolled in a distance education programme.”
A 28Western Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate to the Federal Government for geographically isolated pre-compulsory students, who are enrolled in a distance education program, be granted the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Distance Education Allowance.”
A 29South Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate to the Federal Government for geographically isolated precompulsory school students enrolled in a registered preschool education program to be eligible for the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Distance Education Allowance.”
A 30Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates for universal access to early childhood education and care to include all children living in rural and remote Australia.”
A 31Katerhine Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Minister for Education amend the In-Home Care rules for families in remote areas to allow:
1. An educator to care for children from more than one family at the same time
2. An educator to care for their own child whilst caring for children from another family(ies) under In Home Care.”
A 32Walgett Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the relevant ministers to remove the Child Care Subsidy Activity Test to include all children living in rural and remote Australia.”
A 33Wentworth Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Minister for Education to include the following wording ‘except where care is being provided in a remote or very remote location’ in A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 – 85BA Eligibility for CCS and Child Care Subsidy Minister’s Rule 2017 – Section 8.”
A 34Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates for sufficient funding from streams such as the Community Childcare Fund (CCCF) Sustainability stream (or any other funding streams that may be similar), be made available for services in remote and very remote locations to meet their operational costs which are unable to be met through the Childcare Subsidy (CCS)/Parent Fee model.”
A 35Alice Springs Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the relevant minister to establish funding to deliver Mobile Early Childhood Services to geographically isolated children, aged 0-5 years, who are currently without access to any such service because of where they live.”
A 36Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates for funding to support the infrastructure needs of community based early childhood education providers to deliver childcare and preschool services in remote towns.”
A 37Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the relevant federal ministers for funding to be sought to address Early Childhood Teacher pay parity to assist with access to early childhood education in rural and remote communities.”
A 38Louth Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the relevant federal ministers to amend the lack of salary parity between four year trained early childhood teachers and four year trained primary and high school teachers working in rural and remote Australia.”
A 39Far North Queensland Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to lobby the Federal Government to change the Working Holiday Maker Program to include governess/ home tutor/ nanny and au pairs as possible employment opportunities for people in rural and remote Australia.”
A 40Goldfields Eyre Branch (WA)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government for funding to be sought to further incentivise experienced teachers to take up contract and long term rural, regional and remote positions.”
A 41Alice Springs Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Minister for Social Services to apply the framework used for ABSTUDY to geographically isolated children as identified with the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) to obtain transport between their home residence and the educational establishment they attend.”
A 42Namoi Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests that the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government contacts rural/ remote local councils and make school bus routes a priority for repairs, maintenance and edges being mowed.”
A 43Goldfields Eyre Branch (WA)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government and relevant bodies for increased federal funding to improve rural and remote school’s access to specialists who can diagnose students with learning disabilities and offer ongoing education and support to students and their teachers.”
A 44Goldfields Eyre Branch (WA)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests that the Federal Government commits to a set intervention period of no more than six months from diagnosis of students with learning disabilities to commencing treatment.”
A 45Julia Creek Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to remove NDIS Providers ability to charge cancellation fees to remote and geographically isolated NDIS recipients for telehealth services when they do not cancel their appointment within seven days of delivery.”
A 46Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates for improved rural and remote access and utilisation of Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) funding, currently managed through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).”
A 47Hay Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the relevant ministers expand the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) to include those rural and remote students who do not go directly from secondary education to tertiary.”
A 48Tambo Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate for the inclusion of students who take one gap year in the eligibility criteria for the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP).”
A 49Kindon Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies relevant ministers to urgently review the Youth Allowance payment rate and seek an immediate increase to reflect the rising costs of living for geographically isolated students who have to reside away from home to access a tertiary education.”
A 50Western Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the Minister for Social Services for greater flexibility for regional, rural and remote students to qualify for independent Youth Allowance to support greater fairness and more equal opportunity to complete a tertiary qualification.”
A 51Katherine Branch (NT)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates for the removal of the parental threshold from the independent Youth Allowance for students applying under rural and remote work criteria.”
A 52Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Federal Government to change the eligibility criteria for independent Youth Allowance, so that those rural and remote students who choose to save or invest their earnings during the working period prior to attending University are not disadvantaged by the Liquid Assets criteria.”
A 53Louth Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Minister for Social Services to increase Centrelink Rent Assistance payments, to reflect the rising costs of rent for geographically isolated students who have to live away from home to access a tertiary education.”
A 54North West Branch (SA)
“That ICPA (Aust) liaises with the Department of Social Services to find a solution to wait times and difficulty contacting Services Australia regarding Youth Allowance applications for rural and remote students.”
A 55Mount Isa Branch of the Air (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests that the Federal Government through Services Australia recognises the adversity geographically isolated students face when living away from the family home to access a tertiary education and recognises them as independents for Youth Allowance purposes when they don't qualify for dependent Youth Allowance.”
A 56Julia Creek Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government to commence a program to waive the HECS debt for new university education degree enrolments where graduates are willing to hold a teaching position in a remote area for a period equivalent to their tertiary education.”
A 57Julia Creek Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government to waive the HECS debt for primary and secondary teachers who have or are willing to take up geographically isolated teaching positions in Australia’s rural and remote schools for a minimum of three years.”
A 58Julia Creek Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Minister for Education and the Federal Department of Education, for the reduction of HECS fees when an education, allied health or medical/nursing student chooses to do their compulsory placements hours in remote and geographically isolated areas.”
A 59Rankins Springs Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Minister for Education and the Federal Treasurer to change the timing of HECS-HELP debt indexation applied to compulsory repayments.”
A 60North West Branch (SA)
"That ICPA (Aust) requests the Minister for Education and the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations to investigate the real cost rural and remote students face whilst completing compulsory placements during their degree.”
A 61North West Branch (SA)
"That ICPA (Aust) requests the Minister for Education and the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations to fast track the commencement date of the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) to 1 August 2024 to help alleviate the financial hardship current rural and remote students are facing whilst trying to complete their degrees.”
A 62Western Australia State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates the Minister for Education and Minister for Skills and Training to expand the cost-of-living Commonwealth Prac Payment to include students who are undertaking a vocational education and training or university qualification in the allied health field, in order to help address the shortage of these professionals in rural and remote areas.”
A 63Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) seeks financial support for regional and rural tertiary students and apprentices who have to undertake placements to complete their qualification.”
A 64Charleville Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the Federal Government to extend the Commonwealth Prac Payments for practicums undertaken in rural and remote areas especially in the areas of study such as Allied Health, Veterinary Science and Medicine.”
A 65Charleville Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to advocate to the Federal Government for the ongoing expansion of the Country University Centre’s (CUC) network to enable greater access to tertiary and vocational education for geographically isolated students.”
A 66Queensland State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Australian Council of Deans (ACDE) to tailor explicit units within Initial Teacher Education to equip graduates with current, evidence-based strategies to support neurodivergent and diverse disability learners present in an inclusive learning environment particularly when teaching in a rural and remote setting where access to specific support is not readily available.”
A 67Richmond Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the Federal Government and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to establish a relocation allowance for rural and remote Australian Apprentices who have to relocate from their place of residence to undertake their apprenticeship.”
A 68Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations for financial supports to Australian Apprentices who relocate from rural and remote regions to commence their employment and trade training.”
A 69Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to amend guidelines, so that the Australian Apprenticeship Support Service (AASS) providers ensure rural and remote Australian Apprentices are fully supported by each provider and are recognised as a Service Specialisation within the 2024-2026 AASS contract guidelines.”
A 70Bourke Branch (NSW)
“That ICPA (Aust) requests the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to extend the data collected on a commencing Australian Apprentices’ Training Plan (AATP) to identify those who relocate from rural and remote regions to engage in the trades training.”
A 71ICPA Federal Council
“That the Minutes of the 2023 AGM as circulated on 24 June 2024 be accepted.”
A 72ICPA Federal Council
“That the 2023 - 2024 Audited Report be received and accepted.”
A 73ICPA Federal Council
“That the Federal membership fee be set at $25 per member family for the 2025 membership year.”
A 74ICPA Federal Council
“That Corporate Membership be set at $300 per organisation for the 2025 membership year.”
A 75ICPA Federal Council
“That School Corporate Membership be set at $300 per school or educational institution for the 2025 membership year.”
A 76ICPA Federal Council
“That Queensland Audit Services be appointed as auditor for the 2024 – 2025 financial year.”
A 77ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendments to Rule 3.6 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 78ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendment to Section 5.0 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 79ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendments to Section 6.0 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 80ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendments to Section 7.0 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 81ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendments to Section 10.0 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 82ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendments to Section 18.0 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 83ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendment to Section 19.1 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 84ICPA Federal Council
“That the amendment to Section 29.0 of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution, as circulated, be adopted.”
A 85ICPA Federal Council
“That re-numbering and cross-referencing amendments to various Sections of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia (Inc) Constitution where appropriate be adopted.”
A 86South Australia State Council
“That SA ICPA hosts the 2025 Federal Conference in Adelaide on 30 and 31 July 2025.”
A 87Queensland State Council
“That ICPA Qld State Council hosts the 2026 ICPA Federal Conference on the Gold Coast, Queensland.”
F 01Northern Territory State Council
"That ICPA (Aust) requests the Regional Education Commissioner to convene a Round Table to determine equitable solutions for recognition and recompense for the compulsory Distance Education home supervisors for geographically isolated families."
S 01Northern Territory State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) requests that Services Australia reviews the “No reasonable access to school conditions” to better cater for travelling contractor families whose core business is located in geographically isolated areas."
S 02Tambo Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Minister for Education and other relevant stakeholders to implement an exemption for schools/boarding facilities providing on site living facilities for essential supervisory staff from Fringe Benefits Tax on that accommodation.”
S 03Midwest Branch (WA)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the Federal Ministers for Education and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and other relevant ministers, for additional financial support to schools for students with a disability from rural and remote areas, who have no choice for their education but to go to boarding school.”
S 04Midwest Branch (WA)
“That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the Federal Ministers for Education and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Commissioner for Regional Education and other relevant ministers and commissioners to include an amendment into the 2025 review of the “Disability Standards for Education 2005” that encompasses the needs of students with a disability who reside in a boarding facility for secondary education due to not being able access a local school due to isolation.”
S 05Richmond Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government to transfer the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme from the portfolio of the Minister for Social Services to the Minister for Education.”
S 06New South Wales State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) asks the Minister for Communications for a guaranteed action plan including an appropriate timeline should the switch from 3G to 4G not deliver the ‘equivalent or better coverage’ roll-out proposed for families who have students relying on the service for education, care and safety.”
S 07New South Wales State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) asks the Minister for Social Services to provide funding for a Distance Education Supervisors Subsidy (DESS) to be paid per term to eligible families for safely and actively supervising students in a home classroom.”
S 08Northern Territory State Council
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies Qantas to extend the Resident Fares Scheme for travel for geographically isolated students.”
S 09Julia Creek Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to work with Qantas to enhance the Frequent Flyer Resident Fares program to enable families to use multiple eligible departure and return points within the Resident Fares program to better suit the needs of rural and remote students attending educational institutions.”
S 10Julia Creek Branch (QLD)
“That ICPA (Aust) continues to work with Qantas to establish a discount code that would enable all rural and remote students to attend their educational facilities without the added burden of exorbitant flight costs.”
S 11Mt Isa Branch of the Air (QLD)
"That ICPA (Aust) continues to lobby the Minister for Education to amend the timing of payments of the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP)."
S 12Mt Isa Branch of the Air (QLD)
"That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Minister for Social Services and Services Australia to reduce the claim processing times for the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP)."
S 13Mt Isa Branch of the Air (QLD)
"That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Minister for Education to add the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) to the list of scholarships that are exempt from the Youth Allowance Income Test.”
S 14Mt Isa Branch of the Air (QLD)
"That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Minister for Education to include ICPA Australia as a stakeholder when developing the Program Guidelines for the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) to ensure the unique challenges of students from regional, remote and very remote Australia are considered and included as well as those students wishing to undertake placement in those parts of Australia.”
S 15Tasmania Branch (TAS)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government to implement the remaining recommendations from the National Regional, Rural and Remote Tertiary Education Strategy, particularly the recommendations pertaining to Youth Allowance, to improve access and affordability for rural and remote tertiary students.”
S 16Tasmania Branch (TAS)
“That ICPA (Aust) lobbies the Federal Government to prioritise the implementation of the recommendations from the Australian Universities Accord Final Report relating to rural and remote tertiary students.”
