a campaign for healthcare dignity
BASIC. — a youth-led campaign for a Medical Crisis Payment for Australian students
Healthcare should not be a luxury, it’s pretty basic.
Too many young Australians are disadvantaged by the cost of healthcare. BASIC. is advocating for a targeted support for young people and families experiencing health crises.
about the campaign
We are young Australians who believe healthcare is a basic right, not a privilege to be earned.
BASIC. began with a simple, frustrating observation: students living on Youth Allowance and Austudy cannot afford to be sick. A single GP visit, prescription, or specialist appointment can derail a semester, sometimes a degree.
We are advocating for a Medical Crisis Payment: a targeted, dignified form of support that meets young people in the moment care becomes unaffordable. It is small policy. It is enormous change.
the problem
Medical poverty is forcing students to choose between health and education.
Youth Allowance and Austudy sit at just 36% of the minimum wage.
young Australians who felt they needed care avoided it.
Islam et al. (2022)
of young Australians cite cost as a barrier to healthcare.
Kang et al. (2020)
Healthcare is a basic right —
not a luxury people can afford to compromise on.
the idea
What would a Medical Crisis Payment look like?
Targeted
For people receiving support payments, meeting people where financial vulnerability is highest.
Urgent
Assistance for unexpected medical costs that would otherwise interrupt study or recovery.
Distributed
Through Services Australia, using infrastructure that already exists.
Validated
By a referral from a GP , the same way crisis payments are already validated.
Early
Designed as intervention, not a last resort. Catching crises before they cascade.
Dignified
Quiet, simple, human. The opposite of how welfare often feels.
currently, crisis payments exist for —
- ·natural disasters
- ·domestic violence
- ·refugee crises
- ·leaving prison
- ·leaving psychiatric care
so why not medical crises?
a medical crisis payment —
one payment.
one form.
one referral from a GP.
why this matters
A small policy change creates a healthier, fairer Australia.
maximum payment, modelled on existing crisis payments of 2 weeks base rate.
per year — capped, considered, dignified.
Earlier intervention reduce long-term healthcare costs
Treating problems early prevents the cascading expenses of late-stage care.
Giving every young Australian a fair go
Fewer dropouts, more graduates, a more skilled workforce.
It reduces inequality
Health shouldn’t be the dividing line between who chases their dreams and who doesn’t.
It supports young Australians during the most vulnerable life stage
Adolescence and early adulthood are when intervention matters most.
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