Post by Charles Sturt University

2,500 kilometres. One placement. And 44 more weeks to go. This is the reality for Charles Sturt medical radiation science student Audrey Keillor and for too many regional students across Australia. Audrey is completing unpaid, compulsory placements while working multiple jobs just to cover rent and food. At times, she has had to choose between groceries and a roof over her head. This is not an isolated story. It is a system failure. The Commonwealth Prac Payment is supporting some students but right now it excludes those studying medicine, allied health and veterinary science, creating a two-tier system that is unfair and unsustainable. Regional students already travel further and pay more to study. Asking them to absorb the full cost of placements is pushing them to the brink and risks losing the very graduates our communities depend on. More than 80% of Charles Sturt students stay in the regions after they graduate. They are our future health professionals, carers and community leaders. We cannot afford to lose them. It’s time to act. We support the extension of the Commonwealth Prac Payment so every student undertaking mandatory placements gets the support they need to finish their degree. Read more 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21x3z6O TEQSA PRV12018 (Australian University) CRICOS 00005F