Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A few weeks ago in my electorate of Kooyong, I sat down for coffee with a group of students undertaking mandatory placements as part of their tertiary studies. Among them were future psychologists, veterinarians, social workers and educators. Each shared their story, some with quiet resilience, some with visible frustration, all with a common theme of their wanting and needing more support for their prac placements. These placements often require hundreds of hours of hard work. While the changes effective from 1 July mean that students in education and social services are now supported, many in the care sector are not. One student was undertaking a PhD in psychology. She has to cover the cost of her professional registration, her working-with-children and police checks and her travel and accommodation, all while being limited by her university to just six hours a week in her part-time job. Another student, who is studying social work, described the exhausting process of trying to secure placements. He said, 'It's highly competitive. It's far from home. My university offers little support, but I'm still required to pay for the unit as if it were a regular class.'

The stories I've heard from students in Kooyong are not isolated. Every time I raise this issue on social media, my comments and DMs are flooded with hundreds of stories from students around Australia, each reinforcing that placement poverty is real and that it is hurting our future workforce. Some students are being forced to choose between continuing their studies and eating. Some are sleeping in their cars during placements, and that's why they're having to defer or go part time unnecessarily. This issue places immense pressure on students who are dedicating themselves to careers in the care industry, education and community service. These are professions which are the backbone of our society. These are the people who will care for Australians in our hospitals, our classrooms, our clinics and our community centres. If we don't support them during their studies, we risk losing them before they even enter the workforce.

Education should be an opportunity, not a financial burden. For far too many, mandatory placements mean worry, stress and anxiety, not participation, engagement, fulfilment and learning. So I call on the government to recognise this crisis. We owe it to the next generation to do better for our students. If we invest in them now, we invest in the future wellbeing of all Australians.