Win for Albany families with Country Week Assistance Program

A re-elected Cook Labor Government will invest $8 million in the new Country Week Assistance Program, providing support for regional students attending Country Week events.
  • Country Week costs set to reduce by around half for Albany families with school students
  • Part of $8 million package to support regional schools for Country Week events
  • Builds on the Cook Labor Government’s plan to ease cost of living pressures

A re-elected Cook Labor Government will invest $8 million in the new Country Week Assistance Program, providing support for regional students attending Country Week events.

Country Week is held twice a year - for Senior High Schools in June and District High Schools in September. More than 4,000 students from regional WA participated in various sports across the two events in 2024.

Attendance costs are determined by each school and typically include accommodation, meals and transport. Parents are billed directly, and for example last year, Albany Senior High School costs were around $1,000 per student.

The program will provide funding direct to schools to reduce costs to parents. Financial support will be based on the distance a school is from Perth:

  • Schools located 300km or less from Perth will see costs reduced by $250 per student
  • Schools located more than 300km from Perth will see costs reduced by $500 per student

Both government and non-government school students will be supported by the program.

The initiative builds on the Cook Labor Government’s proven track record of delivering cost of living support for regional families, with measures like the expansion of the Regional Pensioner Travel Card, the Regional Airfare Zone Cap Scheme, the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme and electricity rebates all providing real relief.

Comments attributed to Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman:

“This is part of the Cook Labor Government’s responsible financial management and means we can provide more relief to regional Western Australians experiencing cost of living pressures."

“We know thousands of Albany students head to Country Week in Perth and those costs are borne by families."

“These initiatives will see hundreds of dollars going back into the pockets of Albany and Great Southern families.”

Comments attributed to Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens:

“Sport and Country Week is in our Albany DNA so it’s great families and students will be supported further when they head to Perth to compete."

I absolutely enjoyed attending Country Week when I was a student like many other regional high school students from Albany and the Great Southern."

Roger Cook and WA Labor will always do what’s right for Albany and the Great Southern.”

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