In Australia, some students will finally be paid during their internship

Combating student poverty. This is the aim of the implementation, starting July ¹ , of aid paid to students in certain fields in Australia. Students with teaching, nursing, midwifery, or social work qualifications will be able to receive 331.65 Australian dollars per week – the equivalent of 185 euros – during mandatory practical internships, reports the Australian edition of The Guardian.

Australian Education Minister Jason Clare said the payment would “give people who have committed to some of the most important jobs in this country a little extra help to get the qualifications they need.”

"Some students say that internships force them to give up their part-time jobs and that they don't have the money to pay the internship fees," he said, adding that poverty was a reality for many young students in Australia.

Around 68,000 university students will be eligible for this means-tested aid this year. To qualify, they will need to prove they earn no more than $1,500 per week (about €838) and have worked more than 15 hours in a job outside of university before starting their internship.

However, the measure was deemed insufficient by the Students Against Poverty (SAPP) group, as well as by the Greens. According to them, it should have included students from all fields of study, particularly those in which practical internships are mandatory, such as medicine. Furthermore, the scheme is considered too complex to implement, and the resources allocated insufficient—at least to make a real difference.