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17
November

Win For Gap Year Students

The Labor Government’s retrospective penalty on gap year students has been defeated in the Senate.

Senator Fiona Nash, Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate and Senator for NSW, said gap year students will now qualify for Independent Youth Allowance, regardless of where they live, if the Government accepts the amendment.

“In their attempt to squeeze rural and regional students the Labor Government announced a retrospective blow to the ambitions to thousands of school leavers who were working through a gap year to earn enough to qualify for Independent Youth Allowance,” Senator Nash said.

“This disadvantaged thousands of students who had made arrangements in good faith after receiving advice from Centrelink, teachers and careers advisers.

“In August, Education Minister Julia Gillard attempted to appease thousands of disgruntled students by back-flipping on the earlier announcement, but introduced a 90-minute rule under which students had to live 90 minutes away from their tertiary institution by public transport to qualify. This proposal cut 25,000 students from the qualifying list.

“This was not fair and it is only right that the Senate knocked it out of play.

“The Government must agree to these amendments in the House of Representatives so that all gap year students can continue with their study plans, while suffering no financial disadvantage.”

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Fiona Nash at Byron Bay

Contact Senator Nash

Electorate Office

79 Main Street
Young NSW 2594

Phone: (02) 6382 3400
Fax: (02) 6382 3499
Freecall: 1300 734 681

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