Many regional students and their families will be shocked to learn that the government's proposed changes to Independent Youth Allowance next year may not mean students in the inner regional zones will be subject to the same criteria as other regional zones.
Under questioning from Senator Nash in senate estimates tonight, Minister Evans admitted that changing the criteria for the inner regional zones was not necessarily going to happen.
The Minister said "the answer isn’t as some people seem to think from the 1st January next year inner regional students will get the same conditions as outer regional students."
"Many inner regional students believed the government's announcement this week meant the criteria would become the same for them as in other regional zones,” Senator Nash said.
“The government said they would 'eliminate eligibility distinctions between inner regional and outer regional students’.”
“Inner regional students and their families thought this meant that the government had finally recognised the huge unfairness that existed for them. However, Minister Evans has made it crystal clear tonight that the government has no idea what changes may take place from 2012.
"It has become even more obvious that the independents have sold out regional students for nothing more than a review in the deal they did with the government.
“If the government doesn’t know what the changes are going to be, how on earth can the independents know what they signed up to?," Senator Nash said.
"The Gillard government and the independents have hung regional students out to dry."
"The current legislation is unfair, and needs to be fixed. It's the least regional students deserve," Senator Nash concluded.
Friday, February 25, 2011 9:56 AM
Why am I not surprised. Regional/rural Australia just is not important to our Government, that is unless you need food, clothing and of cause coal, iron ore, electricity and water - the list goes on. As an extremely concerned parent I will continue to question this unfair treatment of our youth. Thank you Fiona for your ongoing commitment and passion for equality across Australia.