❓ The Premier outlines the WA student assistance payment, confirming its continuation and application process, highlighting its role in supporting families facing cost-of-living pressures due to global inflation and responsible financial management.
AnsweredQoN 28Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Cost-of-living relief—Student assistance payment
28 . Ms Ali Kent to the Premier:
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment to supporting Western
Australian families with cost-of-living pressures.
(1)
Can the Premier outline to the house how initiatives such as the WA student
assistance payment will support WA families?
(2)
Can the Premier advise the house how these initiatives are made possible?
28 . Ms Ali Kent to the Premier:
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment to supporting Western
Australian families with cost-of-living pressures.
(1)
Can the Premier outline to the house how initiatives such as the WA student
assistance payment will support WA families?
(2)
Can the Premier advise the house how these initiatives are made possible?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for the question.
(1)–(2)
Around three o'clock tomorrow will conclude the first term of the school year.
Parents and caregivers right around the state will be up for another two weeks
of having to look after the kids, juggle work commitments and coordinate Easter
egg hunts. It is a busy and costly time, but especially when families have to
pay school expenses. We know that everyone struggles with the cost of equipping
and sending their kids to school and of their kids participating in school
activities. This morning I visited Warwick Senior High School with the
education minister, Sabine Winton. We talked to parents and students about the
costs that continue to add up throughout the school year. We spoke with
Yolanda, who was one of the parents there. She said that sometimes when buying
a new sports outfit or a new top, as quickly as you buy them, the kids quickly
grow out of them, and that the costs mount up.
We know that
many people in Western Australia are struggling with the cost-of-living
pressures brought on by the global inflation crisis and that there are things
we can do as a government. That is why during the election campaign we
committed to providing another round of our WA student assistance payments.
Today we confirm that applications for the scheme will open to parents on 28
April. Here is how it works. During term 2, parents can apply for direct
payments of $250 for every secondary student and $150 for every primary or
kindy student. All that is needed is for the child to be enrolled in a school
from kindy to year 12 or be a registered homeschooler. Last year, the scheme
supported the families of nearly 400,000 students. It helped them with the cost
of schooling. That is more than $75 million in important cost-of-living
support. This year's assistance payment will be funded through the upcoming
state budget. That has been made possible only by the WA Labor government's
responsible financial management of the state's finances. The fastest way to
claim the support is by using the ServiceWA app, which will ensure that the
payment is received in around a week. However, we understand that not everyone
is capable of using that, has the opportunity to use it or that it is not to
their taste, so alternative methods will be made available, including through
the Department of Education's website, with paper forms also being made
available where needed.
Providing
cost-of-living support where we can has been a top priority for my government.
As I said when I was elected, we will do two key things. First, we will keep
our economy strong, and, second, we will help those who are doing it tough. The
WA student assistance payment is part of a long list of measures aimed at helping families and households. For instance,
cheaper public transport; free travel for school students and free travel
for everyone on Sundays; KidSport vouchers boosted to $500, helping more WA
kids get involved in community sport; the $300 secondary student clothing
allowance so that families in need have one less school expense to worry about;
and the last round of the WA student assistance payment, which I note was
heavily criticised by the former Leader of the Liberal Party but which was
widely appreciated by communities and families right across this state. Almost
400,000 WA families were assisted with the last round of the student assistance
payment. We estimate that this will be a commitment of around $89 million. That
money will go back into the pockets of Western Australian families when they
need it most.
None of this
would be possible without our strong financial management. That has given us
the capacity to respond to the global inflationary crisis, to help people through
the current tough economic conditions and make sure that we keep the Western
Australian economy moving forward.
for the question.
(1)–(2)
Around three o'clock tomorrow will conclude the first term of the school year.
Parents and caregivers right around the state will be up for another two weeks
of having to look after the kids, juggle work commitments and coordinate Easter
egg hunts. It is a busy and costly time, but especially when families have to
pay school expenses. We know that everyone struggles with the cost of equipping
and sending their kids to school and of their kids participating in school
activities. This morning I visited Warwick Senior High School with the
education minister, Sabine Winton. We talked to parents and students about the
costs that continue to add up throughout the school year. We spoke with
Yolanda, who was one of the parents there. She said that sometimes when buying
a new sports outfit or a new top, as quickly as you buy them, the kids quickly
grow out of them, and that the costs mount up.
We know that
many people in Western Australia are struggling with the cost-of-living
pressures brought on by the global inflation crisis and that there are things
we can do as a government. That is why during the election campaign we
committed to providing another round of our WA student assistance payments.
Today we confirm that applications for the scheme will open to parents on 28
April. Here is how it works. During term 2, parents can apply for direct
payments of $250 for every secondary student and $150 for every primary or
kindy student. All that is needed is for the child to be enrolled in a school
from kindy to year 12 or be a registered homeschooler. Last year, the scheme
supported the families of nearly 400,000 students. It helped them with the cost
of schooling. That is more than $75 million in important cost-of-living
support. This year's assistance payment will be funded through the upcoming
state budget. That has been made possible only by the WA Labor government's
responsible financial management of the state's finances. The fastest way to
claim the support is by using the ServiceWA app, which will ensure that the
payment is received in around a week. However, we understand that not everyone
is capable of using that, has the opportunity to use it or that it is not to
their taste, so alternative methods will be made available, including through
the Department of Education's website, with paper forms also being made
available where needed.
Providing
cost-of-living support where we can has been a top priority for my government.
As I said when I was elected, we will do two key things. First, we will keep
our economy strong, and, second, we will help those who are doing it tough. The
WA student assistance payment is part of a long list of measures aimed at helping families and households. For instance,
cheaper public transport; free travel for school students and free travel
for everyone on Sundays; KidSport vouchers boosted to $500, helping more WA
kids get involved in community sport; the $300 secondary student clothing
allowance so that families in need have one less school expense to worry about;
and the last round of the WA student assistance payment, which I note was
heavily criticised by the former Leader of the Liberal Party but which was
widely appreciated by communities and families right across this state. Almost
400,000 WA families were assisted with the last round of the student assistance
payment. We estimate that this will be a commitment of around $89 million. That
money will go back into the pockets of Western Australian families when they
need it most.
None of this
would be possible without our strong financial management. That has given us
the capacity to respond to the global inflationary crisis, to help people through
the current tough economic conditions and make sure that we keep the Western
Australian economy moving forward.
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