Renee Coffey (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the honourable member for Indi for her support for paid prac and her enthusiasm for supporting students, especially young people, to gain the qualifications they want and the qualifications that Australia needs. In particular, I want to acknowledge her longstanding advocacy about placement poverty in regional Australia. Thank you very much.

More than 20 years ago, when I first left high school, all I wanted to be was a teacher. I started off at the University of Queensland, undertaking a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education. I finished all the coursework that was needed for that degree over a number of years. My intention was to graduate and to start teaching, but, when it came to my final practicum—the very last part of my qualification—there was absolutely no way that I could afford to give up work for that period and continue to pay rent and all other costs. So I had to make the very difficult decision all those years ago to graduate with an arts degree and to leave my education degree on the shelf for a bit longer. It took me a couple of years of working and saving after that point to be able to afford to return to university and finish my teaching qualifications.

During that period, when I was a young adult, my gorgeous little baby niece, Bridget, was born, and, quite famously in my family, Bridget said that when she grew up she wanted to live in a 'nunit' and go to 'nooni' like 'Aunty Nay'. She has done most of that. Twenty years after that, I watched her studying her education degree and also, very recently, watched her trying to finish her practicum and not being able to afford that and have it be incredibly challenging. Due to my own experience, and, decades later, seeing my niece go through the same hardship, I was incredibly proud to be able to support this policy within the Australian Labor Party, through our conference processes. I have advocated for and supported this from its earliest stages, so I was absolutely heartened to see this passed. I thank the member for her contributions to passing this also.

It's a great policy and it's an important way that we can support nursing, teaching, midwifery and social work students during those crucial weeks where they must undertake their prac. With the federal Labor government's changes we are able to support young people studying these absolutely essential professions. It's something that I am incredibly proud.

In my community of Griffith in Brisbane, I meet education, nursing, midwifery and social work students on placement in our local schools, aged-care homes, hospitals and community services. They love their work and they are absolutely determined to graduate, but they tell me how hard it is to juggle unpaid prac with rent, groceries, bills, transport and the costs involved with actually doing these pracs, in many instances. That's why the Albanese Labor government has put practical support behind practical training.

From 1 July, paid prac became a reality for these professions. For the first time, the Australian government is providing direct financial support to help students complete compulsory placements—around $331 a week in 2025—supporting around 70,000 students each year. Sadly, it was just a little bit too late for my niece, Bridget, but I am very pleased to report that she managed to struggle through and has completed her education qualifications and is teaching in my electorate of Griffith as a first-year teacher. But we know that it's going to be much easier for other educators and healthcare workers coming through the ranks now with these changes. These payments are targeted at those who need help the most. They give students breathing space so they can focus on learning in the classroom, on the ward and in the community instead of worrying about the next bill. No-one should have to delay or abandon their studies simply because they cannot afford to do the placement that qualifies them for the profession that they love.

We have started with teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students, consistent with the Australian Universities Accord, but this legislation does require review after three years to assess how well the payment is working and whether it should be extended to other areas, including allied health. I want to thank the member for Indi for raising this matter and for working so constructively with government on this. Our focus is on implementing these changes well so that students in Griffiths and across Australia can complete their studies and move into the professions that keep our communities healthy, safe and thriving.

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