Health students on placement across the North Coast are set for extra cash in their pockets, with the Federal Government expanding paid prac to ten more courses from 1 July 2027.
Students studying clinical psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, paramedicine, radiography, pharmacy, rehabilitation therapies, podiatry and audiology will join nursing, midwifery, teaching and social work students already covered by the Commonwealth Prac Payment.
Southern Cross University, the University of New England, the University of Newcastle, UNSW and the University of Sydney all send health students on mandatory placements across the North Coast, including in courses now covered by the new payment.
The means-tested, indexed payment gives eligible students up to $338.60 a week while they complete mandatory clinical and professional placements, which for courses such as radiography can eat up more than a year of the degree, often forcing students to give up paid work and move away from home.
The expansion is expected to support more than 20,000 additional students, bringing the total number covered by the Commonwealth Prac Payment to about 95,000.
Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler said the change would help students training for professions in high demand, including in regional areas.
“This will make a big difference for students doing placements in the bush who face extra costs when they’re training away from home,” Mr Butler said.
National Rural Health Alliance chief executive Susi Tegen welcomed the expansion as an important investment in the future health workforce, particularly for rural Australia.
“This is a welcome and practical measure that recognises students still have rent, food, transport, childcare and other bills to pay while undertaking the clinical placements required to complete their qualifications,” Ms Tegen said.
“This is not a rural-only payment, but it has significant potential to remove some of the financial barriers that prevent students from accepting rural and remote placements.”
The Alliance said it wanted to keep working with the Government on additional travel and accommodation assistance for rural and remote placements, investment in student accommodation and health infrastructure, stronger partnerships between universities and rural health services, more support for students of rural origin, and clearer pathways from rural training into secure rural jobs.
But Ms Tegen warned the flat weekly rate may not go far enough for students placed a long way from home.
“For some students, $338.60 a week will not cover the real cost of travelling hundreds of kilometres, paying for temporary accommodation and continuing to meet existing expenses,” Ms Tegen said.
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