Adam Bandt calls for volunteers as Greens push for end to unpaid work placements

Greens leader Adam Bandt has advertised for “volunteer” workers at the same time his deputy has called for an end to unpaid placements.

Greens leader Adam Bandt is actively advertising for “volunteers” while his party pushes for an end to the practice of unpaid placements.

Deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi on Tuesday hosted a roundtable on ending unpaid placements, calling for adequate payment for university students who must complete mandatory placements to receive their degree.

Ahead of her roundtable, she emailed staffers from across the House of Representatives and the Senate, urging them to attend and chart “a way forward in ending placement poverty”.

Her call comes, however, as an advertisement for a “volunteer program” at Adam Bandt’s Fitzroy office remains active, with students invited to apply.

As deputy Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi leads the charge for ending unpaid work placements, Adam Bandt is recruiting unpaid volunteers for his Melbourne office. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Bandt opened applications for the program on October 25, with applications to close on November 28.

The program covers a range of work areas, including policy, campaigning, constituent casework, community mapping, and communications and social media.

The description for the program makes it clear the position is voluntary and “no financial remuneration is available, and no employment positions are on offer”.

“Volunteers will be offered six training sessions and regular mentoring,” the description reads.

“Expressions of interest are welcomed from students seeking a placement or internship for course accreditation.”

Senator Faruqi convened a roundtable on ending unpaid placements on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

When asked specifically how the Greens could actively pursue ending unpaid work placements while advertising for volunteer positions, a spokesperson for Senator Faruqi said their policy “doesn’t apply to volunteer positions”.

“The Greens’ position is that mandatory unpaid placements, such as the hundreds of hours required of teachers, nurses, paramedics and social workers are unsustainable, unreasonable, and putting extra strain on already-stretched workforces,” the spokesperson said.

“These unpaid placements, which are a requirement of these degrees, unfairly discriminates against working parents, renters, mature aged students and people who don’t have access to family wealth.

“Mandatory unpaid placements need to be paid. This policy doesn’t apply to volunteer positions. People who are in a position to volunteer their personal time for roles are welcome to do so.”

The Greens are calling for an end to unpaid work placements. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Greens have been pushing for an end to unpaid work placements for some time, calling on the government to remunerate students who have to do mandatory work hours in order to gain their degree.

The Universities Accord interim report called for “additional support” and students to be paid while on block placements.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Senator Faruqi said the Greens were united with students and the Australian Services Union in calling for the government to “fix placement poverty”.

“Pay students for every hour of work that they do under mandatory placements,” she said.

“Students shouldn’t have to tell horror story after horror story of how placement poverty is impacting them.

“Students should be paid for every hour of work that they do for their degree.”

When asked about it on Tuesday, Mr Bandt said people who were trying to gain a qualification that required mandatory work hours were experiencing difficulty “making ends meet” while those placements went unpaid.

“And we see a worrying trend of a lot of people, including women and single parents, dropping out of their courses because they can’t afford to make ends meet while going through placements,” he said.

“The Greens will continue to push for people who are undergoing study-based placements as part of gaining their degree to get remunerated for it so that people are able to finish their degrees.”

Originally published as Adam Bandt calls for volunteers as Greens push for end to unpaid work placements