paul mallett advocates strongly to create a statewide accommodation pool for allied health students in Tasmania. paul believes we cannot afford to lose future Allied Health workers to “prac poverty”. A modest, practical investment in safe, affordable accommodation will pay back many times over — in healthier communities and a stronger, home-grown care workforce.

Context

Based on his work as a strategic workforce planner, paul knows Tasmania faces critical workforce shortages in Allied Health professions — social work, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology and more.  To qualify, these students must complete extensive mandatory practical placements, often in rural and remote communities where housing is scarce and expensive.

paul also knows that right now, too many students face “prac poverty”:

• Paying rent on their main home and temporary accommodation at their placement site.
• Travelling long distances daily to avoid double rent, adding cost and stress.
• Facing placement refusal or degree delay because they simply can’t afford to go.

This undermines our pipeline of new health workers — right when our communities need them most.

The Proposal

paul proposes the creation a statewide pool of low-cost or free short-term accommodation for Allied Health students on placement in rural, regional, and remote Tasmania. This would feature:

• Student Accommodation Pool: A dedicated stock of modest, safe housing options in communities that regularly host placements — houses, units, or rooms coordinated by local councils, health services or training providers.
• No Double Rent: Placements are unpaid. This housing pool stops students from paying rent twice or taking on unmanageable debt.
• Regional Health Equity: Helps smaller communities attract and host student placements — building a workforce pipeline into regions that struggle to recruit permanent staff.
• Shared Investment: State Government, Universities, and placement providers work together to acquire, lease, or repurpose properties for this pool.
• Partnerships with Councils and Community: Local governments, service clubs and community housing organisations can help identify and supply suitable stock.

The benefits are likely to include:

• Boosts Tasmania’s Allied Health pipeline — more students can complete placements on time and stay in the state to work.
• Builds connections to rural practice — students who train rurally are more likely to return after graduation.
• Reduces financial stress and placement drop-out — tackling “prac poverty” means fewer students abandon their courses.
• Strengthens regional health services — placements bring skilled student capacity and help services “grow their own” workforce.

Po: The accommodation could also be used to house “locums” and short term health professionals in the same regions.