The public schools fee waiver of $6000 per year for the child of a Temporary Skilled Worker visa holder in Rural, Regional and Remote NSW is warmly welcomed by the NSW Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA-NSW.)

“ICPA-NSW often deals with nuanced issues that have a ripple effect across the broader community. One such issue is the Temporary Skilled Worker Shortage Visas (482 Visas),” ICPA-NSW president Tanya Mitchell said.

“People may ask what these visas could possibly have to do with education, however, some of our members told us that they sponsor 482 visa holders to fill the workforce gap in regional/remote NSW and those workers were required to pay $6000 per child per year for Public School Fees.

“For a 482 Visa holder sponsored to work in rural/remote NSW, with multiple children, public school fees of $6,000 each child, per year, adds up to a big expense and sometimes leaves them no choice but to enrol children into a cheaper option at a religious school that may not align with their own cultural or religious beliefs.”

Hay ICPA branch president Michele Spence congratulated the state branch on their successful outcome.

“We are incredibly pleased to see NSW to come into line with other states and allow children of these families to access government education,” Ms Spence said.

“Thankfully the Catholic school system has been welcoming these students into their school, but in other towns this is not an option.

“Access to a broader range of education is a great outcome for families with cost effective options now available.

“This issue has also affected families and communities more broadly with cases of 482 visa holders not able to seek sponsored employment in some rural areas, or moving elsewhere and even sending their children away to be educated.

“We believe communities can be strengthened through education, and supporting people to live, work and thrive in rural settings is often closely linked to children within a family.”

Above: Members of the Hay ICPA branch at the 2021 state conference held in Hay. From left: Carol Huggins, Alison McLean, Sandra Ireson, president Michelle Spence, Caroline Booth, Sally Loveridge, Pip Ryan and Bill Ryan.

Image: ICPA-NSW

Balranald ICPA branch Secretary Kathleen Harris also applauds the decision.

“The change of policy shows good faith and support in all facets focusing on inclusivity for students and their families, she told The Riverine Grazier.

“The Balranald ICPA Branch believes this initiative is a positive step in the right direction encouraging student enrolment in schools with the change of enrolment policy that include the fees associated with international student enrolments.

“We’ve seen this to be positive for the local workforces and families that support and populate many towns including those of rural communities.

“This change of policy is a supportive movement going forward especially in cross border communities allowing families more choices in employment, health and education and will allow NSW to align with Queensland and Victoria.”

ICPA-NSW said former rule was also a disincentive for a visa applicant to be sponsored in NSW, because public school fees for 482 visa holders had already been waived by the Queensland and Victorian State Education Departments.

“We thank the NSW Department of Education and the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car for recognising this as an equity issue and waiving the fees.

“Every child deserves access to an education and apart from the fact that we desperately need skilled workers in the regions because of dwindling numbers in the bush, small public schools, bus runs.

“Even the local P and Cs need to have the benefit of more residents in their communities, with the added bonus of cultural experiences that new families bring.”

ICPA-NSW delegates recently held meetings in Sydney to highlight the myriad of issues affecting access to education and also meets regularly online with the NSW Department of Education officials.

In May, the organisation wrote to Minister Car, after a member in the Riverina area was advised that their visa employee was not eligible for a fee waiver.

Ms Mitchell said that as a trusted voluntary advocacy group it was pleasing to see the partnerships with the Department of Education playing out in a policy change.

The NSW policy now reads: "All students on a temporary resident visa will now be able to enrol in their local school, based on their residential address.

Enrolment fees will be waived for families that are regional holders of Temporary Skills Shortage visas (subclass 482) residing outside Greater Sydney and Wollongong."

“More student enrolments mean more staff which equals more benefits to the community,” Ms Harris said.

“With education equity being the focus of the ICPA, at branch level we support the positive action of this policy change which focuses on inclusion, community expansion and employment retention alongside education equity.

“A world with education leads to a world with wisdom.”

“ICPA welcomes new members who are interested in supporting an organisation that can really make a difference for rural and remote families,” Ms Spence said.

Families in the Hay area can contact [email protected]