The Federal Government’s announcement of a $319.50 weekly payment for nurses, midwives, teachers, and social workers is mere tinkering with a broken system.
It fails to tackle the “placement poverty” that remains a barrier to entry for our future essential workers.
What about the Speech Pathologists? Radiographers? RTs? NMTs? Physios? OTs? Music Therapists? EPs?
What about Allied Health?
The Government does not recognise that our essential workers are diverse but no less essential than nurses, midwives and teachers. Our communities deserve all of us.
$319.50pw amounts to $8.40/hr at a time when the median weekly rent is $601pw.
If Government sees this as giving students “a fair start” then it is completely out of touch with the cost-of-living crisis facing students.
We need a comprehensive review of how we support the on-the-job training necessary to support tomorrow’s Allied Health Professionals.
A supported intern model, where students are paid a living wage while they learn the practical skills key to their profession, is one way to ensure that there are no barriers to entry for those who want to become an Allied Health Professional and to ensure they are “job-ready” on the day they graduate.
If Government is serious about tackling the workforce challenges facing health it needs to remove barriers and invest in the education and training of essential workers.
Our Public Sector delegates last year passed a motion calling for a return to the intern model and an end to placement poverty. It called for free tertiary education for all allied health course students.
We will continue to advocate for this demand at every level of government, in the community and by any other means necessary.
Image source: Students Against Placement Poverty Facebook page