Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia had its beginning in the NSW outback town of Bourke, in April 1971. Families were struggling with drought and the consequences of such an event, and most importantly, the effects of the drought on the education of their children. The late Mrs. Pat Edgley, MBE, called a meeting to save the Bourke Hostel, which serviced families in the outlying district, from closure. Out of this has grown an amazing organisation, with branches of ICPA springing up all over Australia, and eventually the national overarching body – ICPA (Aust). In its 45 years as a volunteer organisation, ICPA has achieved much for families and children who are isolated from access to educational services. ICPA will continue to strive for equity of access to an appropriate education for these children. Currently there are 2476 family memberships within the ICPA with 102 Branches Australia wide.
Mrs Pat Edgley in 1971 who called the first meeting of what was to become the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association.
The current ICPA Federal Council with representation from all States and Territories across Australia with the exemption of Victoria.
Once a year the ICPA Federal Conference of the ICPA is held pro-rata across Australia.
Objective of ICPA:
ICPA (Aust) is a voluntary, non-profit, apolitical parent body, dedicated to ensuring all rural and remote students have equity of access to a continuing and appropriate education. It encompasses the education of children from early childhood through to tertiary. The majority of member families of the Association reside in geographically isolated areas of Australia and all share a common goal of access to an appropriate education for their children and the provision of services required in achieving this. Children may be educated in small rural schools, by distance education, attend boarding schools or school term hostels and sometimes have access to early childhood services. Tertiary students whose family home is in rural and remote Australia frequently must live away from home to access further education.
Parents often become the Home Tutor when teaching their children via Distance Education.
Children taught through Distance Education come together for camps which is vital for socialisation.
Achievements of ICPA:
- Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme (AIC). This is a Federal Government allowance, established under the Australian Labor Party by the Hon Kim Beazley Snr MP, then Minister for Education, and is paid to parents to help support their isolated students as a distance education student, a living away from home student, or in establishing a second home so students can access education.
- Establishing allowances in each state, funded by State Governments.
- Establishing itinerant teaching services to assist in overcoming the tyranny of distance for distance education tutors and students.
- Supporting retired educators volunteering to assist families to educate their students in remote and isolated homesteads.
- Impetus behind the Country Areas Program (CAP), which has been replaced by similar State based programs.
- A leading role in improving telecommunication services for isolated families, including current technologies used for delivering distance education.
- Youth Allowance changes, which saw the introduction of a Relocation Scholarship and the removal of Family Assets and Family Actual Means testing for rural students.
- Provision of an education port with the introduction of the new NBN Sky Muster satellite internet service.
- Respect and credibility across all political parties and government departments.
Immediate Past President Judy Sinclair Newton, Councillor Jo Murphy & President Wendy Hick celebrate the removal of the Family Assets Test in November 2015 at Parliament House.
Following on from the Assets Testing being removed from Youth Allowance, Landline presented a segment highlighting how this legislation would benefit rural and remote students and families.
Current Advocacy of ICPA:
- Early childhood programs and child care to be available for all rural and remote families, including an extension of the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Distance Education allowance to four-year-old students and ensuring that early years’ mobile services are continued to be supported.
- Financial support for distance education tutors who are working with students in distance education classrooms.
- Adequate and affordable communications in rural and remote areas to ensure geographically isolated students have the resources they require for their educational needs.
- An increase in the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme payments to enable access of education for rural and remote students.
- A Rural Hardship Education Fund to assist families with the high education costs of their children in times of long-term drought, drought recovery and instances of rural hardship.
- Financial assistance and adequate support for students with specific learning needs.
- A Tertiary Access Allowance for students who want to participate in tertiary education and must live away from home to do so, but do not receive any assistance to relocate.
We welcome membership and all interested persons are invited to join the Association. To join, click this link.
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ICPA Federal Conference 2017 logo.
ICPA logo.
National Geographically Isolated Distance Education Day
ICPA Australia is calling on the Federal Government to formally recognise the role that parents play in distance education with the launch of Geographically Isolated Distance Education Day on 1 December. The day recognises and honours the ongoing plight of geographically isolated families who must educate their children at home at all times. A heightened […]
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The seven year itch
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Alana Moller – Star of Hope Station, Central Queensland. You’ve heard from me before, I am Alana and I live at Star of Hope Station in Queensland with my husband Scott and our three daughters Mykenzie (when she is home from boarding school), Zarah and Addison. I like to […]
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Schooling anywhere and everywhere
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Jo Kanny, Wagga Wagga Station, Yalgoo, Western Australia. I am regularly asked “don’t you get bored out there?” but anyone who has experienced and lived station life knows that there is very little risk of this ever happening! Jakob & Josh 2017 School Photos. I was born and raised […]
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On the other side of the desk
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Frances Frahn, Holowiliena Station, Flinders Ranges SA Families who school their kids through distance education usually either employ a governess for day-to-day supervision in the schoolroom, or the Mum teaches her own kids. I’ve got a bit of experience in both situations now – here’s some of my story. […]
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From Ireland to isolation (not a backpacker story!)
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Olivia O’Neill, Derwent Station, Northern Territory My name is Olivia O’Neill and I live at Derwent Station with my husband, Padraic and we have 3 children, Patrick (8), Kathleen (6) and Ashling (4). My husband and I are from Ireland and on 11th March 2011, we flew into our […]
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A day in the life of a Kimberley Governess
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Tayla Clark, Governess – Blina Station Me: “Hey Siri, what’s the definition of a Governess”? Siri: “(especially in former times) a woman employed to teach children in a private household”. That was me early December (2017), trying to figure out what a governess was, and what the position would […]
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Four at foot
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Petie Rankin, The Twins Station, South Australia I cannot believe how very fitting it was that when I was asked to write a piece for Central Station, it would be the EXACT week that my govie had to go home for a few days and I had to dig […]
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Isolated shouldn’t mean alone
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Alana Moller – Star of Hope Station, Queensland. My name is Alana. I live at Star of Hope Station, an hour and a half west of Clermont, with my husband Scott and our three girls. The Star of Hope herd. Our eldest daughter is now at boarding school, however […]
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Schooling kids living on the road
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Tina Sendall As a family travelling Australia and working along the way, our kids have been enrolled with Distance Education through Hay SOTA in NSW as well as Alice Springs SOTA in the NT. A key factor to this type of schooling is the need for a Home Tutor, and […]
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Gap year govie
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Mikayla Schwarz, Governess – Gum Creek Station, South Australia. If people asked me a few years ago in high school what I planned to do in the future, I would have never considered a gap year – let alone being in the outback. My name is Mikayla and I […]
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What! You’re going to be a teacher?
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Tannas Godfrey, ‘Barrygowan’ Station, Cunnamulla QLD. We live on ‘Barrygowan’ Station in South West Queensland, the Queensland/New South Wales border runs through the middle of our property aggregation. Our closest major towns are Cunnamulla which is 150km north west in Queensland and Bourke which is 230km south west in […]
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Compassion and Education at Gum Creek Station
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Lisa Macintosh, Gum Creek Station, South Australia. Its 2018 and we are very aware that no two people are the same, that everyone can have their own opinion and that we must respect and encourage such. We strive to teach forgiveness, awareness and compassion to our children and neighbours, […]
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One is a lonely number
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Lynly Kerin, North Well Station, South Australia. One is the loneliest number, and never so much as it is in the Distance Education schoolroom of a property where you are also going solo in the under eighteen category of its population. Quite often the picture painted of a school room […]
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Finding beauty amongst the drought
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Lindy Hick Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 “Photography is a love affair with life.” Buzz Uzzle. My name is Lindy Hick, […]
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Community Supporting Public Education
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Michelle Eulenstein Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Michelle Eulenstein grew up on Magnetic Island in Far North QLD and fell in […]
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Home tutor challenges
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Jacinta Wilson. Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Scenario: It’s ten o’clock in the morning. The baby is grizzling – It’s time […]
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A REAL School
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 I have a little story to tell. I am the Govie at a tourist park in a remote […]
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Small school success
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Michelle Eulenstein Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Michelle Eulenstein grew up on Magnetic Island in Far North QLD and fell in […]
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Why save Moora Residential College?
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Tracey Errington Save the date for the 2018 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Canberra, August 1-2. This promises to be a great conference! Find all information at this link: https://www.icpaconferenceaust.com/ #ICPAconf18 Moora Residential College was initially opened in 1974 to enable isolated students from throughout […]
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Boarding school blues
Host: Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Written by Fleur McDonald Save the date for the 2017 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Federal Conference to be held in Alice Springs, August 2-3. Hosted by the Alice Springs Branch, this promises to be a great conference in true Territory style. Find all information at this link: http://icpa.com.au/events/view/79/2017-federal-icpa-conference I’m sure I’m not […]
