As the Senate Education Employment Legislation Committee scrutinises the University Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill, the Health Services Union (HSU) is renewing its call for the Federal Government to extend paid placements to allied health.
Under the Bill, some social workers, nurses and teachers undertaking mandatory placement will be eligible for means-tested financial support.
However, all allied health professionals, except for social workers, are excluded from the budget measure announced in May.
The HSU’s submission to the Committee highlights that most allied health students also endure severe placement hardship. Some courses requiring up to 2,300 hours of compulsory practicum.
Overlooking placement poverty in allied health only prolongs the suffering those students face.
The flow-on effects are gendered: this is a workforce that predominantly identifies as women – in the case of speech pathologists, 98% of the profession.
HSU members are standing together, and calling on the government to extend its proposed paid placement support to allied health.
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO HSU NATIONAL SECRETARY, LLOYD WILLIAMS:
“While we welcome the Federal Government extending financial support to students enduring hardship on placement, we can’t fathom why allied health has been left behind.”
“The Universities Accord said that there should be paid placements in the care sector. Occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and psychologists are some of the largest tertiary-qualified professions within it. Why exclude them?”
“Workforce shortages across allied health are disrupting hospitals and outcomes for Australians using the NDIS and aged care systems. Barriers to study only make these worse.”
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO COURTNEY – RADIATION THERAPIST AND HSU MEMBER:
“The workload of a Radiation Therapy undergraduate student is exhausting. We are required to manage a full-time academic workload while also completing 42 weeks of unpaid placement at 35 hours per week. Placement poverty must be addressed.”
QUOTES ATTRIUBTABLE TO MATTEO – CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND HSU MEMBER:
“Clinical psychologists in training are studying for minimum six years before they are eligible to be paid as a psychologist. My HELP debt peaked at $91,740 due to indexation, because I was unable to work with clinical endorsement until 8 years of study.
“After working for five years, my HELP debt is still $87,260. The debt is crippling, and a large portion of salary goes towards paying off just indexation rises.”
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO SAMUEL – PHARMACY STUDENT AND HSU MEMBER:
“Earlier this year I was assigned a four-week placement at a hospital in Sydney, four hours away. Unfortunately, I was told that accommodation is only available for rural placement. I had to stay at a hostel for the four weeks, which cost me just shy of $2,000.”
“The interest rates increased while my wife was on maternity leave, and our mortgage went up to 55% of our combined income. I exhausted all our savings – four months later, we have not been able to replace any savings or catch up on our bills. The only reprieve is I will soon graduate.”
Media contact: media@hsu.net.au
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