The Hon Jason Clare MP
Minister for Education

The Hon Brendan O'Connor MP
Minister for Skills and Training

The Albanese Government will establish a Commonwealth Prac Payment to support students undertaking mandatory workplace placements required for university and vocational education and training qualifications.

Australians studying to be a teacher, a nurse, a midwife or a social worker will be eligible for this payment.

This month’s Budget will focus on easing cost-of-living pressure on Australians, combatting inflation and laying foundations for future growth in our economy and our labour force.

This new payment will provide around 68,000 eligible higher education students and over 5,000 VET students each year with $319.50 per week during their clinical and professional placement periods.

Benchmarked to the single Austudy per week rate, this payment will provide cost-of-living relief for many students. It will be means-tested and available from 1 July 2025 and will be in addition to any income support a student may also receive.

The Government will work with the higher education and vocational education sectors to introduce and deliver this new support.

The introduction of this payment acts on the advice of the Universities Accord and the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce. 

Paid placements will help ease the care and teaching workforce skills shortages identified in the Government’s Employment White Paper and assist more students to commence and complete their studies.

With the majority of students and workers in these critical care fields being women, the payment also helps implement the Government’s gender equality strategy, Working for Women. The payment will also help support the pipeline of social workers available to support those affected by family, domestic and sexual violence.

This is part of the first stage of reforms the Albanese Government will implement in response to the Universities Accord and builds on our reforms to make the HELP system fairer.

As at 6 May 2024.