Student transport relief ‘leaves behind’ remote kids, according to parents group

Rural students continue to be “left behind” due to “simple policy decisions” as the State Government announces transport relief that the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association says will not support many country students.

Premier Roger Cook and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti this month announced free public transport for students with SmartRiders between home and school would be made permanent to help ease cost-of-living pressures.

In response, ICPA WA issued a statement saying the announcement would see many rural and remote students “not benefit at all”.

The association is now calling on the State to increase the public transport conveyance allowance to match the Australian Taxation Office’s 88 cents per kilometre rate to provide some support to country families.

Currently, geographically isolated students enrolled in WA’s School of Isolated and Distance Education rely on attending camps to access core curriculum, complete mandatory assessments, and develop essential social skills — opportunities they cannot get online or at home in the bush.

However, the association says distance education children are excluded from transport assistance because the sessions are named “camps”.

“This leaves families bearing the significant financial burden of travelling hundreds of kilometres so that their children can access programs essential to educational and social development,” the association said.

ICPA WA vice-president Jasmyn Allen said the cost of educating children in regional or remote WA was placing an increased strain on families.

While the free public transport was helpful for some students, she said the announcement “left behind” country students.

“From boarding fees to the significant travel expenses faced by school of the air families to access face-to-face learning, these are not optional extras — they are essential costs to access a basic public education,” she said.

“Without adequate support, many families are being forced to make difficult decisions about their children’s schooling, and that’s simply not acceptable in a State like ours.”