When I was doing Nursing at uni I was on a single parent pension. I got an extra $60 a fortnight for a study allowance. I am sure you have to be a full time student to get this not part time (or maybe part time you get half) that was year 2001-2003 so its probably gone up abit since then.
I did midwifery as a registered nurse so I was getting paid an RN's wage then not needing gov assistance.
I agree with the others as to the daycare question. My DD started daycare at 3months so I could study but I was lucky in the fact that although she went 5days a week (so I could go to lectures) it was usually between 2-4hrs a day so not full on and in my holidays (which were for 6months of the year) she didn't go to daycare (but I still had to pay. I got full subsidy for daycare so it wasn't alot of money even if she didn't go)