Desert Fish,
Just purely for information, how much school attendance money do the kids get paid in your neck of the woods ?

G'day Kathryn,
I couldn't agree more that the current job market is tough. I'm over 50 and I'm on Austudy because
a) since I haven't been able to get work, I obviously need to reskill, whether I like it or not,
b) I got sick and tired of doing the same application rounds week after week and being rejected,
c) doing something is a helluva lot better than doing nothing.
Your other points: just because you start study doesn't mean you have to stop looking for work, I still am.
Yes Austudy should be at least as much as Newstart. One should always be paid more for doing something than doing nothing; and the more you do the more you should be paid. That is why I suggest payments should be on an hourly basis, or per module basis for online students.
Why shouldn't the basic rules of the 'real world' also apply in education?
People who don't want to change careers can almost always go for higher qualifications in their existing or allied fields.
Here in regional Qld schools are empty for the greater part of every day. What a waste.