Record Families Get WA Student Aid Payment
The Cook Labor Government today announced the conclusion of its 2025 WA Student Assistance Payment program, which distributed more than $81.4 million in cost-of-living support to school students and their families.
With the payment of claims finalised in recent days, the successful initiative delivered 424,005 payments $250 for each secondary school student, and $150 for kindergarten and primary students throughout Term 2 to assist WA parents and carers with costs associated with sending their children to school, such as school uniforms, books, excursions, equipment and other essentials. This equates to 83.4 per cent of eligible recipients with students enrolled in WA schools receiving support.
There was an almost 8 per cent increase in the number of payments made compared to last year’s program, which supported 392,976 students.
Most notably, there was a major boost in the number of claims paid for students in regional and remote areas. This includes payments having reached an additional 27 per cent of eligible students and their families in the Kimberley region, which had the lowest claim rate in the State last year.
This is a direct result of efforts made to lift claim rates in target regions, with extra support provided in regional and other communities where people may not have claimed the payment in its first round, including alternative claim methods, schools engaging directly with their families, social media promotion, targeted outreach, supplying internet dongles to remote communities, and the new ServiceWA Digital Assist Kiosk trial.
Information about the program was translated into more than 16 languages for public awareness and comprehensive support offered to people who needed help to submit their claims.
Almost 75 per cent of claims were lodged safely and efficiently through the Service WA app, with others submitted using web and paper forms.
The suburbs with the highest uptake for claimed funds were Baldivis, Canning Vale and Ellenbrook, with Dalyellup, Margaret River, South Hedland, Kalgoorlie and Derby among the top 20 in the regions.
This support is in addition to the Cook Labor Government’s new Country Week Assistance Program, which continues to provide financial support to regional families to remove barriers to students travelling to take part in Country Week events in Perth.
A total of $8 million has been committed over four years for the program, which reduces costs by $250 per student for schools located 300 kilometres or less from Perth, and by $500 per students for schools located more than 300 kilometres from the metropolitan area.
For more information on support provided through the 2025 WA Student Assistance Payment, visit: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/wasap/ .
As stated by Education Minister Sabine Winton:
“The WA Student Assistance Payment is a key Cook Labor Government initiative that has eased cost-of-living pressures for families right across the State.
“We’re proud to have built on the success of last year’s program, with 424,005 students and their families receiving the payment a significant increase of almost 8 per cent.
“Importantly, we saw an even larger lift in claims from regional and remote communities, which is a clear sign that this support reached the families who need it most.
“This was made possible by incredible efforts from our schools, and I want to thank them for supporting the Government’s strong focus this year on lifting claim rates in key regions.
“We know these payments have made a difference for WA students, helping to set them up for success with the everyday essentials they need to thrive at school.”
Top 20 Metro Suburbs for funds claimed
Suburb Amount Paid
Top 20 Regional Suburbs for funds claimed
SuburbAmount Paid
https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook Labor Government/Record-number-of-families-receive-WA-Student-Assistance-Payment-20250825