Labor to Expand Paid Placements for Care Students

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to announce an expansion of the Commonwealth's "paid prac" scheme for students at Labor's National Conference. The initiative will now include university students studying clinical psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, paramedicine, radiography, pharmacy, rehabilitation therapies, audiology, and podiatry. Independent MP Monique Ryan welcomed the move, advocating for its extension to all care sector students. She emphasized the need to support students who struggle with the costs of their studies, stating, "We can't have students living in their cars, missing meals or deferring their studies because they can't afford to undertake the studies to get the skills that we need them to have." Education Minister Jason Clare defended the government's actions on gambling advertising, asserting that stronger measures have been taken than by any previous government. He addressed concerns about the timing of reforms, noting that "there will always be some people that say we have done too much or we haven't done enough but the evidence is there in the reforms that we are implementing." Meanwhile, Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie voiced concerns that Labor's cost-of-living measures could exacerbate inflation, stating, "My concern is that any solution the government puts on the table will actually make the problem of high inflation worse."

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We can't have students living in their cars, missing meals or deferring their studies because they can't afford to undertake the studies to get the skills that we need them to have.