For families in geographically isolated Australia, there's often no local secondary school at all. The alternative, boarding, distance education or daily travel, can cost more than $40,000 a year, a bill government assistance hasn't kept pace with since the AIC Scheme was introduced in 1973 to cover 55% of boarding costs.
That gap is front and centre at the ICPA Australia Federal Conference on the Gold Coast today, where 180-plus delegates will debate national advocacy priorities.
Over the two-day conference, delegates will work through a packed agenda covering rising boarding, travel and distance education costs, equitable financial assistance for geographically isolated families, and reliable telecommunications and internet connectivity for both education and safety. Early childhood and distance education, student travel, and tertiary education pathways for rural and remote students will also be up for debate, underscoring how the challenges facing isolated families stretch well beyond the secondary years.
ICPA Australia Federal President Louise Martin said the one policy change that would make the biggest difference to isolated families right now would be increasing the Boarding Allowance under the Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme so it reflects the real cost of boarding.
"We have families at this conference today paying more than $40,000 a year out of pocket simply because there is no local secondary school for their children to attend," Martin told The Educator. "For these families, boarding isn't a choice."
Martin said the choice for these families is to either pay extraordinary costs or move.
"That's the reality many people don't see, and it's why government support needs to keep pace with the true cost of accessing education in the bush."
With motions on everything from telecommunications to tertiary pathways going to debate, Martin said the one issue school leaders and policymakers consistently underestimate when it comes to isolated families is how little choice geographically isolated families have.
"Boarding isn't a preference, distance education isn't always a preference, and long travel distances aren't a preference," she said. "They're often the only options available."
Martin said that while there is a lot of talk about school choice in Australia, for many of families there is no choice at all.
"That's why the issues we're debating, from boarding and connectivity to early childhood and tertiary pathways, all come back to one thing: ensuring geography doesn't determine a child's opportunity."