Social Work students in Australia have to complete 1000 hours of field placement to obtain their degree and register with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). For many students, this takes a financial toll, as they are unable to do paid work during the time they spend on placement. This leads to stress for the student and their family/friends. In some cases, students are unable to pay rent or their mortgage, and unable to support their family. Many people decide not to do a Social Work degree due to this financial stress. A lot of people choose to do a degree with lesser placement hours instead of the degree they were passionate about.

We are asking for support to be compensated for the time spent doing unpaid labour by offsetting the cost of tuition calculated by total hours worked x by the minimum wage standard to be set off against the student education loan (HECS) at the end of a successful completion of their degree.

Unfortunately, this still does not take away the immediate stress and financial strain faced by students on placement, but it does decrease the long-term financial stress. Knowing the students will be receiving some form of compensation for time spent on placement may contribute to higher retention rates. 

Please assist us by signing and sharing this petition to demand Charles Sturt University to compensate Social Work Students for their unpaid placements.