Skip to main content

Rural and Remote Education Inquiry Briefing Paper

Rural and Remote

Education Inquiry Briefing Paper

11. Travel

Overview

There are few concessions

for the additional time and cost of travel for rural and remote teaching

staff. Unsealed roads and distances between communities mean that teachers

carry the financial burden of petrol costs and car maintenance. Cars are

not provided to teaching staff in rural and remote Australia. The need

to travel large distances to access professional development is not adequately

funded by education departments (Tomlinson 1994).

Developing

and sustaining contact that aids professional growth between and within

the schools, we find, is very expensive. This afternoon we'll go to Alice

Springs; we have a school in Alice Springs and a school at Santa Teresa,

so just to get there costs me $1,000 plus whatever accommodation. I've

got to hire a four-wheel drive to get out to Santa Teresa. These sorts

of costs are very difficult to deal with (Bill Griffiths, Director

of Catholic Education (NT), Darwin public hearing, 10 May 1999).

Training and

development activities are limited, and when available, often come at

considerable cost in terms of travel and accommodation. Teachers are

keen to improve their skills, and will make the effort to access training

where they can (Submission 48, Dorrigo High School, NSW).

Last

updated 2 December 2001.