The Australian government’s recent announcement of funding to address placement poverty for low socio-economic status (SES) students in certain health professions has sparked concern among allied health educators.
The Australian Council of Deans of Health Sciences (ACDHS) warns that excluding most allied health students from this support could exacerbate workforce shortages and limit social mobility.
Professor Terry Haines AM, Chair of the ACDHS Board, expressed mixed feelings about the scheme: “ACDHS welcomes the ‘Commonwealth Prac Payment’ scheme as a first step in addressing placement poverty. We are delighted that students studying Social Work, a vital allied health profession, have been included within this scheme. However, we note that placement poverty is real for all students studying to become health professionals, not just those included in the current scheme.”
The ACDHS argues that the exclusion of allied health students from disciplines such as physiotherapy, speech pathology, and occupational therapy could have unintended consequences.
Haines stated, “By excluding allied health students beyond Social Work from the Commonwealth Prac Payment program, the government may inadvertently entrench socio economic disadvantage. This program will most strongly attract students from lower socio-economic backgrounds into the courses receiving prac payments and potentially funnel them into careers with lower future earning potential.”
The Council emphasises that achieving a diverse health workforce requires promoting entry of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds into all health professional courses. They argue that future earning potential does not protect students from current financial struggles during mandatory placements.
Haines posed a critical question: “Do we not also want students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to have the support needed to become physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists, or should these professions just be left to those with financial means?”
The ACDHS is calling on the government to extend support to all allied healthcare students, warning that the current policy could deepen existing workforce shortages and limit opportunities for social mobility in higher-earning health professions.
