CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
The Australian Government has this week generously announced that it will be rolling out a means-tested weekly payment for young people who have been enslaved into the poverty of unpaid placements
The payment, which won’t be available until at least next year, should just about cover rent in any medium sized town.
As for food and bills, the government has no answers. Perhaps it is expected that people studying to become nurses or social workers can just ask their parents to chip into help? Like first-home-buyers are having to do.
This comes as every single state government reports a catastrophic shortage in recruiting numbers for frontline services.
When posed with the option of teaching or providing support to the unruly children of the pandemic era, or becoming a real estate agent, it seems young people would sooner skip university completely if it means that it’ll increase their chances of home ownership.
Aside from the police in Queensland, who have just negotiated an unprecedented pay rise, every other service in every other state can report a mass exodus from their once proud professions.
However, for those who do still indeed plan on selflessly serving their community for a salary that comes to less per year than the lollipop lady working on a CFMEU worksite, it seems rural and remote placements are still mandatory.
But with Nurses expected to complete 800 hours (20 weeks), Teachers expected to complete 600 hours (16 weeks) and Social workers staring down the barrel of 1,000 hours (26 weeks) – nobody has ever bothered asking how these kids are supposed to survive themselves?
In many cases, basic ‘nurses quarters’ style accomodation isn’t even available, as universities and state governments send young people into the bush to sign their first ever short-term rental lease, paying bond with money they don’t have.
It is not yet known if the new payment, which comes to less per week than the students are racking up in HECS, will prevent the very real poverty that these unpaid placements force young people into.
Either way, recently signed-off social worker Kelly (20) says it’s no help to her anyway.
“At least I got a good look at what life is like for those who’ve been fucked over by the system” she says.
“I’m surprised the bank lent me enough money to spend 26 weeks in the bush with no income. But being up to my eyeballs in debt has prepared me for the rural misery that this job specialises in”
