Stipend proposed for university students ‘forced to skip meals’ during internships

Labor MLA Suzanne Orr has listened to students’ concerns about unpaid work as part of the inquiry. Photo: Region.

University students are skipping meals, fearing homelessness, scrounging off parents and paying double rent while doing compulsory study placements, an ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry into unpaid work has heard.

The University of Canberra (UC) Student Representative Council has suggested that the government introduce a stipend paid to all students who are currently required to undertake unpaid placements and internships.

Earlier this year, an ACT Legislative Assembly committee commenced an inquiry that is examining the challenges, consequences and economic impact of unpaid work – such as caring for families, volunteering and placements that are a compulsory part of many tertiary degrees.

“Students are sometimes forced to skip meals to cut back on essential expenses and some even face the risk of homelessness due to the financial strain of unpaid work … a stipend would go a long way to ensuring students are not having to cut back,” Angela Kagucia, UC Student Representative Council treasurer, told an inquiry hearing.

Inquiry Deputy Chair Suzanne Orr, a Labor MLA, said the federal government was introducing placement payments from July 2025 for certain disciplines, such as teaching, nursing and midwifery students.

Lexi Salvestro, a Griffith graduate studying teaching in Canberra, said this was urgently needed.

“I’ll soon be doing a three-week placement at a school. I’ll need money for living expenses. Most of us have part-time jobs but work during school hours, so we can’t work during our placements.

“In the cities, everything costs more than it did in Griffith, especially since I was living with family back home and now have to pay for everything myself.”

Teaching student Lexi Salvestro will be getting a placement payment, but others miss out. Photo: Oliver Jacques.

However, Taylor Geoffroy, UC Psychology Society president, told the inquiry many students would continue to miss out.

“Every bachelor course has a placement. Most TAFE courses have placements as well. Pretty much every student who is not included on [the federal government’s list] is affected … as part of psychology specifically, 500 hours of the placement for UC students are not paid at the UC Health and Wellbeing centre,” she said.

Ms Geoffroy also said the federal government’s proposed payment of a means-tested $319.50 a week is not enough.

“I can say from personal experience that it will not even cover rent … it will not cover groceries or living a normal teenage life,” she said.

The issue of ‘placement poverty’ has attracted widespread media attention over the past year, with bodies such as the Australian Medical Students launching a campaign to pressure governments to address the issue.

UC Student Representative Council president Mushtaha Ahmed said ACT students were among the most disadvantaged.

“Many students, because there are not enough placement opportunities in the ACT, have to go interstate to find internship and placement opportunities. This means increased cost and it also means paying double rent, which is a really big crisis, especially during the current housing crisis,” she said.

The inquiry into unpaid work remains ongoing, but submissions have closed, and no further public hearings are scheduled. No date has been determined for the release of the final report. Further information on the inquiry can be found at the Inquiry into Unpaid Work.