TYRANNY OF DISTANCE
SINCE the 1970s Queensland’s Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association has been tirelessly committed to improving the lives of bush families.
With dozens of branches and more than 1000 member families throughout the Sunshine State, the organisation works towards improving equality of access to education for all students who live in rural and remote Australia.
Originally founded in New South Wales, the organisation has a national presence and lobbies on both state and federal issues.
ICPA Queensland vice-president, mother and cattle producer Kim Hughes has been involved with the organisation for a decade.
“There are issues around distance education, boarding school, special needs, small schools, information technology concerns, bus runs and early childhood,” she said.
“We do deal with a range of issues.”
Ms Hughes said distance education was a major focus of ICPA Queensland.
“Since the Australian curriculum was implemented in Queensland it’s been a big shift from what was distance ed,” she said.
Ms Hughes said the new curriculum was of a higher standard and the implementation was rushed.
“Kids really had to jump up,” she said.
“There was quite a big struggle at the beginning.”
The organisation is now focussing on improving the program.
“(We want) user-friendly distance education programs, for trainers who aren’t always teachers or who sometimes don’t have a high level of education,” she said.
Their lobby has already been effective, with Education Queensland curriculum writers recently visiting five geographically isolated communities.
“It’s something we’ve been pushing for,” she said.
“A taste of life in a bush home schoolroom.”
Ms Hughes said ICPA Queensland would hold its state conference on October 22 and 23 in Townsville.
“Two members from a branch can attend on behalf of their branch,” she said.
“The idea of the organisation is it’s basically driven by members.”
Ms Hughes said the conference would allow members to bring up issues and concerns from their community.
Issues are voted on and eventually lobbied for by the state council.
“We book meetings two or three times a year. We meet with heads at the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment,” she said.
“We then lobby the relevant person to get our issues heard.”
Ms Hughes said she had been involved with her local Richmond branch since her kids started education and on a state level since 2011.
“I really get a buzz when we achieve something,” she said.
“When we get a win, I think that’s very satisfying.
“You can see you’ve made some kind of a difference for kids in the bush and their parents too.”
Ms Hughes said good education was vital to small communities and important in encouraging people to remain living and working in the bush.
“We can’t afford to have people in the community leaving because they don’t feel their kids are getting a good education,” she said.
ICPA Queensland member Kylie Camp, from the Mt Isa Branch of the Air, lives 74km from Burketown. She has children at boarding school and a daughter who recently graduated university.
Ms Camp said many improvements have come about because of the ICPA council lobbying.
“Particularly having a child with special needs,” she said.
“Education I think is the key to opportunity.
“They’re (branches) made up of volunteers and continuing to grow. I think there’s always going to be a role for the ICPA.”
Ms Camp said it costs about $75,000 a year for her three children to attend boarding school.
She said while some allowances, scholarships and financial assistance was available, it didn’t cover a significant amount.
Ms Camp, whose family runs cattle, previously taught her children distance education at home but felt they would benefit from the social exposure and experiences of boarding school.
“We live in a global world, a social world. You need to practise those things, especially bush kids,” she said.
Ms Camp said issues her family was dealing with due to their location included limited and expensive internet access and tertiary education.
“I’m only entering into this brave new world of university... but anecdotal evidence is that it’s difficult,” she said.
Ms Camp said many people living in the bush were not eligible for tertiary assistance after means testing because many have large assets but not much cash.
Her daughter is currently taking a gap year to help with costs.
“Certainly it’s something our kids are very conscious of,” Ms Camp said.
Ms Camp said government support for country kids virtually dropped off when they finished high school.
“Suddenly you finish Year 12 and there’s nothing,” she said.
“Those challenges don’t stop because they want to go to university.”
Ms Camp said some families made huge cutbacks, while some children chose to go it alone to avoid burdening their parents.
“It’s a really hard thing.I don’t believe any parent wants to deny their child an opportunity.”
Visit icpa.com.au.