Together, we can help end placement poverty and secure a fairer system for the next generation of speech pathologists
and allied health professionals.
A national push to expand the Commonwealth Prac Payment to all allied health students is gaining serious
momentum and we are proudly backing it.
We encourage you to sign the petition and share it with your networks.
Launched in early February, this petition from Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) and
the allied health peak associations, sponsored by Dr Helen Haines and Senator David Pocock has already
attracted more than 19,000 signatures in just weeks.
The message is loud and clear: mandatory unpaid placements are pushing allied health students to breaking point and
the system needs to change.
This petition calls on the Australian Government to extend the Commonwealth Prac Payment to all allied
health students, including those studying speech pathology.
Why we are standing with this campaign
Speech pathology students complete hundreds of hours of mandatory, unpaid clinical placements to graduate and enter
the workforce. These placements are essential, but there can be a high personal cost.
Many students are forced to:
- cut back or give up paid work.
- rely on savings, family support, or debt.
- delay or reconsider completing their degree.
This is what’s known as placement poverty and it’s a barrier to building the speech pathology
workforce Australia needs.
As a profession already experiencing workforce shortages, particularly in regional, rural and high-need
communities, we simply cannot afford to lose speech pathology students because the system makes it
financially challenging for them to finish their training.
That’s why we strongly support AHPA’s call for fair, consistent placement financial support for speech pathology
students and all allied health students.
This isn’t about special treatment. It’s about equity, sustainable engagement in
placements, workforce sustainability, and access to care.
What expanding the Prac Payment would achieve
Expanding the Commonwealth Prac Payment would:
- Reduce financial stress during mandatory placements.
- Improve equity and access to allied health education.
- Support students from diverse and low-income backgrounds.
- Strengthen the pipeline of future speech pathologists. Help address workforce shortages across Australia.
In short: supporting students on placement is an investment in the future health workforce and will ensure Australians
get the right care they need, closer to home.
What happens next?
The petition will be formally tabled in Parliament later this year, backed by cross-bench support and
growing pressure from the allied health sector.
Every signature strengthens the case. We encourage you to sign the petition
and share it with your networks.
More information: