WA election 2025: WA Labor to release new round of Student Assistance Payment in election pledge

Parents of school kids will get another payment of $150 to $250 per child in Term 2 if WA Labor is reelected, despite criticism about the scheme’s first round. The pledge marks the return of the WA Student Assistance Payment, rolled out in 2024, and allows parents to apply for $150 per primary school and kindergarten pupil and $250 for each secondary school child. The $89 million initiative is Labor’s second biggest cost-of-living offering so far, ahead of the March 8 election, behind only the promise of a $2.80 one-zone public transport cap, costing $107 million. In this round, about $82 million will be available for parents, regardless of income, with $6.4 million to be spent on administering the scheme and making sure families are aware. Last year the Government allocated $94.4 million for families — plus $8.1 million for the scheme’s costs — but almost $20 million of that went unclaimed as thousands failed to lodge their forms in the two-and-a-half months applications were open. The remaining funds were spent on other initiatives such as subsidising school uniforms and increasing the value of KidSport vouchers to $500. The 2025 round is higher than the money claimed last year by parents of 392,000 kids because the Government believes more people are now aware of the scheme. As long as Labor — who are the odds-on favourites — are reelected, applications will open once 2025 student census data is available for WA schools at the end of Term 1. The payments would then roll out in Term 2. Parents can apply through the ServiceWA app, the Department of Education website, or via paper forms. While more than 80 per cent of eligible parents accessed the payment in 2024, in the Kimberley — which includes some of the State’s most disadvantaged communities — this figure was significantly lower. Premier Roger Cook said tackling the cost of living was his “number one priority”. “We don’t want any kid to miss out on the school essentials they need — whether that be a new backpack, school shoes, learning materials, attending an excursion with their classmates or making memories on camp,” Mr Cook said. “Last year we helped almost 400,000 families with cost of living support through our successful WA student assistance payment, which helped pay for a range of school essentials like uniforms, shoes, backpacks, calculators, extra-curriculars and excursions.” Mr Cook said his Government had “fixed the State’s finances” and was the only party that could be trusted to keep rolling out cost-of-living support. “Having raised my kids in Kwinana, I know all too well there are new school expenses every year — that’s why a re-elected Cook Labor Government will offer another round of financial support to every WA family with school-age children in Term 2, 2025,” he said. The Government has spent more than $1.1 billion in cost-of-living relief including power bill credits and free public transport, with a SmartRider, in summer and for school students year-round. WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam has announced more than $1 billion in cost-of-living promises, including cutting the electricity fixed daily supply charge, covering the costs of Meningococcal B vaccines and offering rebates to seniors who want to downsize.