Northern Territory Education Union (NTEU) Media Release
Peter Dutton has quietly committed to stripping away ‘prac payments’ to student nurses, midwives, social workers and teachers who must finish their studies by doing practical work, often for no pay and in locations where they must move temporarily to, sometimes far from home.
The Coalition’s costings, released yesterday, reveal if elected they will cut $556 million in ‘Commonwealth Prac Payments’ – stripping away cost-of-living support for those studying to become teachers, nurses, midwives and social workers over the next four years.
“If Peter Dutton wants to take money out of the pockets of trainee nurses, midwives, social workers and teachers they should look them in the eyes and say it, not hide it in an eleventh hour document that’s been dumped to reporters within 48 hours off the poll,” said Dr Alison Barnes, National Tertiary Education Union, National President.
“These students have just completed three or four years of full-time study, in areas of real need for our community and economy.
When undertaking pracs they aren’t able to earn a living wage, and these prac payments give them a stipend to cover their accommodations and food costs.
“This is just the latest example of where Peter Dutton is targeting students and our universities and TAFEs. Now, however, he has silently committed to taking money out of students’ back pockets.”
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Peter Gutless-Dutton can only be trusted to be untrustworthy. A lying loudmouthed lout is no statesman, no diplomat, no intellectual. Dutton is a dirty dismal duncey DUD. We have had their conservative policies (hah) squirted at us very late, vague of costs, full of inaccuracy, guesswork, anti-social outlook, and Dutton expects negativity to work. POX. Come Monday.., Peter Who? What?
The snubs are going to returned with interest, any day now,and we can’t be any clearer about that, can we?
My daughter a new grad RN did all her prac unpaid all over the place. Hopefully Labor get in so she can have 20% taken off her HECS. Big Saving is that.
I note that Dutton is denying that the coalition will cut ‘Prac Payments’ as detailed in this article – he told reporters it’s a Labor lie.
This is the problem when the coalition reveal their costs and cuts two days before the election and little time is allowed for scrutiny and analysis.
The Prac Payment scheme is only scheduled to come in from July as far as I can see and already the coalition are planning to dump it. Had they announced this earlier, they probably would have backflipped once the decision had been scrutinised as they did with the working from home prohibition (which they acknowledged was a mistake).