La Trobe Student Union are pleased to share with you their latest report: 2025 Placement Poverty Update
This report is a follow-up to the Student Union’s 2023 review into placement poverty, and it captures both the lived realities of students and university response that continues to affect equitable access to education.
Key Headlines:
- Students continue to face severe financial hardship, with 1 in 4 skipping meals and 43% regularly running out of money before payday
- Commonwealth Prac Payments, while welcome, leave behind many students – especially those in allied health and similar disciplines
- Policy implementation delays at La Trobe persist, including last-minute placement notices, inaccessible locations, and unclear supervision
- LTSU’s own services, such as food banks and period poverty programs, are now supporting hundreds of students a week. These should not be permanent fixtures in a fair education system.