Unis will be charged for NT health students placements

FROM 2020, universities will have to pay for medical, nursing and allied health students to do their placements in the Territory, a move which the NT Government estimates will earn about $1 million a year

Unis will have to pay for their students to do prac in the NT

FROM 2020, universities will have to pay for medical, nursing and allied health students to do their placements in the Territory, a move which the NT Government estimates will earn about $1 million a year as part of the Langoulant Report budget repair reforms.

The charge will be introduced in 2020-21 financial year, and will affect all Australian students who want to do a placement in the NT — regardless of where they study.

Charles Darwin University vice-chancellor Simon Maddocks said he was “very concerned” about the NT Government’s announcement.

“I appreciate that the Government needs to look at all avenues as part of its budget repair plan, and the only information we have is the one line in the budget paper the Government released on Tuesday,” he said.

Prof Maddocks said it created an “additional burden” to students.

“If this is a charge against NT based students undertaking placements to complete their qualifications in the NT, it creates an additional burden to students we most want to retain in the NT,” he said.

“I believe that students doing their placements in the NT is all part of continuing to build a strong workforce for the future.

“We want our upcoming health professionals to have experience of the health challenges that are particular to the Northern Territory and that happens through placements while they are studying.

“We need quality staff to commit to careers in the NT and should not be placing extra challenges in front of students while they are studying.”

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the student placement charge brought the NT into line with other states.

“Our plan to fix the budget makes the tough decisions needed to ensure we can continue investing in local jobs and generational change,” she said.

“The student placement charge will be paid by universities that use NT Health facilities for training purposes.

“This change brings us into line with other states and the Territory will remain an attractive destination for health professional training.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said increasing taxes was the “lazy way” to deal with the budget crisis.

“Instead of cutting wasteful reckless spending it has decided to tax student nurses and doctors who the Territory so desperately needs,” she said.

“The Territory has unique health challenges and taxing students to complete their compulsory practical training is a disgrace.

Of course this announcement is light on detail and we call on the Government to come clean about what this really means for student nurses and doctors.”