The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA) Australia is in Canberra this week to renew calls for long-overdue reforms addressing education inequities affecting rural and remote students.
Representatives from the organisation’s Federal Council will meet with parliamentarians and senior officials – including the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Pauline Hanson, and the Hon David Littleproud MP – to highlight the widening gap in education access and affordability outside metropolitan areas.
ICPA Australia is a voluntary, not-for-profit, apolitical parent body advocating for equitable education opportunities for geographically isolated children.
ICPA Australia Federal President Louise Martin said families are “fed up waiting for fairness” after years of inaction on critical issues including the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Allowance, Youth Allowance eligibility and recognition for Distance Education supervisors.
“For decades, rural and remote families have shouldered the cost of delivering education the government promises should be free,” Mrs Martin said.
“Every year, our members pay tens of thousands of dollars just to give their children the same opportunity to learn as their city peers. Yet the system that is meant to support them, continues to erode, ignored by those who could fix it with the stroke of a pen.
“We’re not here to play politics. We’re here because the system isn’t working. The inequity has become so entrenched that families are being forced to make heartbreaking decisions about their futures. When access to education becomes a postcode lottery, something is very wrong.”
In Canberra, ICPA will advocate for urgent action including:
- Restoring the AIC Basic Boarding Allowance to cover 55% of boarding school fees and linking it to the CPI Education Sub-Index
- Financial recognition for distance education supervisors in geographically isolated locations who perform a mandatory, unpaid educational role
- Reforming Youth Allowance eligibility to reflect the true cost of relocation for rural and remote students, including lifting the parental income threshold, removing the Liquid Assets Waiting Period, and granting automatic independent status for isolated students
- Amending In-Home Care rules to ensure educators can support multiple families and their own children, helping address critical workforce shortages.
Mrs Martin said the government has both the responsibility and the capacity to act.
“This isn’t about handouts, it’s about fairness. When a government can’t guarantee equal access to education for children based on where they live, that’s not a budget issue, that’s a values issue,” she said.
“Our members aren’t asking for special treatment, they’re asking for the same opportunities every other Australian family takes for granted. It’s time for meaningful reform, not more reviews.”
ICPA represents families across Australia who share the belief that every child deserves equal access to education, regardless of location.
