Why have we been excluded? The students left out of Labor’s promised placement payments

Calum Neish, studying physiotherapy, misses out on Labor’s placement payments including medicine, radiography, veterinary science, occupational therapy and psychology students. Photograph: supplied

By the time Lauren – not her real name – finishes her radiography degree, she’ll have completed 1,600 hours of work without pay.

So when the government announced earlier this week that it would give students in care degrees payment for undertaking mandatory placements, the fourth-year student was excited.

But after finding out the commonwealth’s proposed $319.50 weekly allowance would only be available to students in teaching, nursing, social work and midwifery, Lauren now feels “passed over”.

“Radiography is an extremely difficult degree producing healthcare professionals who perform essential roles,” she says.

“I’ve worked in numerous hospitals and private practices where I bridge the labour gap with employee shortages. I’ve also witnessed a significant dropout rate in my cohort as students are unable to sustain themselves during the extensive number of placements.”

Students in a range of degrees – including veterinary science, medicine, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and psychology – are also set to miss out on Labor’s proposed allowance, which will be outlined further in next week’s budget. The proposed payment is equivalent to about $8 an hour.

Dr Diana Barker, president of the Australian Veterinary Association, says she was “devastated” to discover veterinary students weren’t on the list.

“I just don’t understand why we’ve been excluded,” she says.

“Our workforce shortages are in crisis in rural and regional areas. Vet is one of the most expensive degrees to undertake in Australia, and students have to undertake 56 weeks of placements.

“The government is saying veterinarians are not essential.”

Barker says students who undertake placements in rural and regional areas are more likely to take on full-time work in those communities, but often opt against it due to the financial pressure of relocating.

“It’s an extra burden to take on,” she says. “This will have a knock-on effect. Vets are already closing their doors as they can’t get people into these communities.”

The president of the Australian Psychological Society, Dr Catriona Davis-McCabe, says provisional psychologists are also in urgent need of support.

If you’re trusted enough to go into a hospital and provide medical care, you deserve payment

Ngaire Bogemann

Psychology is one of the most feminised workforces in Australia, with more than 80% of psychologists being women.

“Expecting provisional psychologists to undertake these placements for free puts psychology out of reach for so many students, which puts even more pressure on the workforce and does nothing but harm patients who need to access psychology care,” Davis-McCabe says.

“This simply isn’t sustainable or acceptable in 2024.”

National president of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, Scott Willis, says while it is “disappointing” to see physiotherapy miss out, he is happy the government had taken an initial step forward.

“Now the minister needs to be bold and commit to other allied health professions,” he says. “It’s their obligation – this would be impossible for industry to sustain.

“The cost of living is increasing and there’s a perfect storm brewing for providers and business owners.”

The education minister, Jason Clare, told Triple J on Monday that the federal government’s decision was based upon recommendations in the University Accord final report.

The report, handed down in January, backed calls among academics for students to be compensated for compulsory internships in order to stem high dropout rates.

It suggested employers make “reasonable contributions” to the costs of providing placements, with the government to provide support for key industries including nursing, care and teaching.

“The report says that this is where government should focus first and that’s what we’re doing,” Clare said. “It might be that down the track, governments will look at other areas or that industry can provide important help here as well.”

The peak body for the tertiary sector, Universities Australia, backed the announcement, and was described by chief executive officer Luke Sheehy as a “game changer”.

But students have taken a different view. Grassroots group Students Against Placement Poverty, say the change will do “very little” to alleviate students’ financial woes, while the National Union of Students (NUS) say all students completing placements must be paid at least the minimum wage.

National president of the NUS, Ngaire Bogemann, says $8 is a “slap in the face” to students providing “crucial labour” in areas with skills shortages.

“If you’re trusted enough to go into a hospital and provide medical care, you deserve payment,” she says. “So many avoid or can’t finish degrees because they can’t afford the placements.”

While Calum Neish, a physiotherapy student in his honours year at the University of Queensland, won’t qualify for the payment, he finds it heartening.

“There’s such a need for this – it’s a recognition from the government that we need high quality care,” says Neish, who tutors after full days of placements and works part-time on the weekend. “When students graduate they’re already feeling the impact of burnout and high levels of stress, yet we rely on them to help other people.”

But he wants payments to be allocated fairly, regardless of degree.

“I’m worried it might deter people from other health degrees knowing there’s an incentive,” he says. “It needs to be equitable.”