Senator Fiona Nash

LABOR CITY CENTRIC ON YOUTH ALLOWANCE

 The Rudd Labor Governments so-called Independent Youth Allowance legislation concessions have done little to address the glaring inequity of student entitlements if regional students come from the wrong country town. 

Nationals NSW Senator Fiona Nash said linking entitlement for Independent Youth Allowance to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification is an appalling decision by the Rudd Government and fails to recognise the real challenges students and families from rural and regional Australia face in getting their children a tertiary education. 

“It costs up to $20,000 per student in relocation costs for a student from regional Australia to attend University, said Senator Fiona Nash. 

That’s $20,000, having left the family, just to get themselves set up to attend University plus all of the other costs once they are studying. 

The real issue here should not be about where somebody lives, but how far the family home is from the University those students from regional Australia actually attend. 

A student from regional Australia has only a 33 per cent chance of attending University compared to a 55 per cent chance for students who come from the major metropolitan cities. 

“Prime Minister All Talk and No Action Kevin Rudd and his Minister for Too Many Things Julia Gillard are deliberately punishing anyone who chooses to live in the regions. 

“Talk about an appalling policy decision on-the-run. Rudd Labor has failed to consider the impact its Youth Allowance legislation will have on Australian families who choose live outside of the big cities. 

“Next time Kevin 747 is flying over regional Australia, he might want to look down and realise it is these people and businesses who are the engine room of the economy and they deserve a fair go. 

What the Coalition has done through its Youth Allowance amendments is to make a bad bill better. 

“I firmly believe there needs to be a Tertiary Access Allowance that once and for all addresses the inequities that exist for all students across Australia who want to undertake University studies. 

“The only way to deliver real equity for regional Australians is to vote the Coalition back into office, said Senator Fiona Nash. 

Comments

# david couchman

Thursday, March 18, 2010 12:26 PM

Hi, my partner Karen Proud met Fiona at the womens day brekky last week says hi??
We completely agree. according to a Rob oakshot release, beechwood and long flat, villages near Wauchope in Lyne, west of Port Macquarie, Mid North Coast are split by this 'inappropriate / stupid' line on the map!!! villages within 50 KM of Port macquarie where the nearest uni is newcastle, 300km away!!!

How hard is it for center link / government to look at where you did the HSC and see where the nearest uni is???? If you have to move away from home you stay on 18 months/$19 000 old independence criteria.

There has to be room to move when it gets down to applications to center link for YA, get a ruling when you finish HSC based on school location and desired course to allow old criteria????

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# Joel

Thursday, March 18, 2010 8:15 PM

The line on the map was a condition put up by Liberal Christopher Pynne. Perhaps Fiona Nash should talk to the Liberal line architect rather than just blaming the Rudd Govt.

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# Helen Miles

Friday, March 19, 2010 8:15 AM

Hi Fiona,
Thanks for you work toward obtaining a equal playing field for regional students. We are in Port Macquarie where our closest uni is Newcastle. My daughter is currently gapping to do an engineering course at Newcastle (300km away) in 2011.

The point is that regardless of whoever 'put up' the map it is at the end of the day the government who must look at it and decide whether it is an appropriate map to produce the desired outcome, which I thought was to help those who have to travel to get university education. This plan clearly does not. The 'buck' stops with the Rudd Government.

I whole heartedly agree with Sentor Nash that the criteria should be distance to nearest the University that offers the degree. And yes the coalition's work has made the bad bill better but it has not gone far enough.

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# Leanne

Monday, March 22, 2010 2:50 PM

Your wrong Helen. Labour doesn't have the majority in the senate and this piece of legislation only got passed because the Liberals demanded certain changes and when they got their way they voted it through. It was Christopher Pyne that put the lines on the map so take your blinkers off and acknowledge Pyne's stupidity.

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