Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) | Hansard source

As you're probably aware, Acting Deputy President Bernardi, I am in continuance from last night, when we interrupted the debate on this particular issue, the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Bill 2019. I'm sure you were paying very close attention to that!

Just to refresh people's memories, the point that I have been making is that we support this particular amendment. We think it's a good way of supporting Aboriginal students as they complete their study. But during the course of the Senate inquiry there were a number of issues raised about Abstudy itself which I feel should be raised, and I had started to raise those particular issues.

I was talking about the current application process—that it's complicated and that it acts as a potential barrier for families wanting to access the scheme. The department did articulate to us during the inquiry that there had been some changes made, and I appreciate the fact that they are making changes—I heard them—but what I also heard from the families was that the system still seems to be quite complicated for families to try and negotiate. Families felt that they didn't know how to apply or get enough support to apply and that the application process is still too difficult for families who don't have identification records, like birth certificates, for their children. I've heard on many occasions that the lack of birth certificates is a particular issue for First Nations families and people in a whole range of areas—for example, trying to obtain your drivers licence. What was put to us is that this means that some First Nations students are missing out.

There is also misinformation about Abstudy in the community. At the inquiry, we heard from Mr Franks, who's the Chief Executive Officer of Boarding Australia Limited trading as Indigenous Education and Boarding Australia. He said:

Out in community, there's misinformation about Abstudy: what purpose it serves, how it works, how it functions or how it doesn't function. It exists not only with families in the bush but also with community administration and with schools in the bush, and that just perpetuates itself.

It is imperative that we undertake a full education campaign that engages First Nations communities and people so that they actually know the full facts about Abstudy and not the misinformation that's currently going around. I've heard quite a bit that the current fact sheets don't actually address it or address people's information needs. We should be engaging with remote First Nations families to ensure that they understand how the Abstudy system works and make sure that they are supported to apply. In fact, if we can simplify the system even more, that would be helpful. I did hear that the department has been trying to do that, but we also heard that it's not quite cutting it yet. So I do appreciate that people are being heard, but we just aren't getting there yet.

There are also significant issues about how Abstudy is calculated and administered. It is acknowledged that the current level of Abstudy allowances paid to boarding schools is not enough to cover the costs of education, accommodation and day-to-day needs of First Nations students. Under the current scheme, there are always additional costs associated with education and boarding for families that need to be covered. It is clear that we need a review into the adequacy of Abstudy to ensure it meets the needs of families and students who are living away from home. We all know the difficulties faced by students and young people living away from home at critical times in their lives. It's quite difficult, particularly when you're from regional and remote communities.

All First Nations children deserve equal access to education opportunities, no matter where they live in Australia. I urge the government to consider the evidence raised in the inquiry and to undertake a wider review of Abstudy that examines the issues that have been raised. Having said that, we do support this particular amendment because we think it will help the retention of First Nations children at school beyond the age of 16.