After years of refusing to address regional disadvantage for independent youth allowance the Gillard Government is now doing a back-flip with triple pike.
For two years the Coalition has been calling on the Government to allow inner regional students to be treated in the same manner as outer regional, rural and remote students.
The Coalition has moved multiple Private Member and Senator Bills, Amendments and Motions to rectify this blunder and those attempts have been rejected by the Government again and again.
Regional Labor Members have consistently voted down every Coalition Bill, Amendment and Motion that would have fixed this problem giving students certainty.
The Coalition even took a policy to give inner regional students independent youth allowance to the 2010 election, while the Government did not even acknowledge it.
Now the Minster for Tertiary Education, Senator Chris Evans, has proposed changes to address this issue in an attempt to clear up Julia Gillard’s original mess by giving inner regional students the same access as outer regional, rural and remote students. These changes will not come into effect until January 2012.
While the Government claims employment undertaken over the period since a student has left school will be counted towards the independence test, even if that work was done prior to 1 January 2012, and the workforce participation criteria will not be changed, we will wait and see the details because Australians know this Government cannot be trusted.
What we do know is the $30 million rural tertiary hardship fund will be abolished, access to youth allowance for Masters coursework has been dumped and all start-up scholarships and some relocation scholarships will be slashed to pay for this change.
The billions of dollars wasted in the education portfolio under Ms Gillard’s stewardship would have paid for these changes several times over.
Regional students and parents now know they cannot rely on the Gillard Labor Government to ever get it right. The Coalition will be carefully scrutinising these reforms to ensure they live up to the Government’s promises.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011 10:02 PM
Well done Fiona. Your voice has been loud and persistent on this issue.
Regional families owe you a great deal as this helps our sons and daughters into courses and places where they can pursue tertiary education. For us this mess may not be behind us because our son is currently on a Gap year in England having left school in 2010. We hope he will qualify for this youth allowance when he returns to commence University in 2011? Can you help clarify the position on this please as he is in the process of seeking accommodation in Sydney and finalising course choices which are required by the end of Sept in NSW.
Me Geoffrey Hull
Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:42 AM
You should be very proud and satisfied with the outcome of this mess.
Our family (along with the the writer above) are not yet out of the woods however. Our daughter left school in 2009, had her Gap Year in 2010 (earnt over $19500) and is now in her first year at Uni of Newcastle.
She is struggling along financially and as yet has not secured part time work.
We are now waiting on tenterhooks to get clarification on whether she will qualify or be forgotten, which knowing this Government would not surprise me.
Our fight may not yet be over and I am sure their are many in the same situation
Thursday, September 15, 2011 8:31 AM
This is good news but I am waiting to see the final details. I looked up the Centerlink website and discovered that on the 1.7.11 the pay rate had changed to $21,009.00. I am concerned for the 2009 HSC students who are at uni and are struggling, my daughter could not afford text books this semester.
She too can not find employment and is travelling back home (4-5 hour train journey-that is one way) to every second Saturday.
Fiona please keep asking the questions, I feel there needs to consideration for the 2009 students. These are good kids and they need us to stand up!
To all the other families, look up Centerlink's web page and start to stand up -it is the final detail we need to look at. Thanks Fiona for all your determination!
Friday, September 16, 2011 2:25 PM
While it is good to see the Government dissolving the distinction between regional areas I think people need to keep focus on this issue, particularly as the stark distinction in regional and metropolitan opportunities for higher education still exist.
I am sceptical of what the 2012 proposals mean for me, a first year University student, especially after battling a Gap Year and losing the individual fight for independent Youth Allowance.
So far all I have recognised is,
- the perpetuation of the 'Gap Year' from 18 months to 2 years.
While the opportunity to meet the punitive criteria for Youth Allowance has been eased, it still demands that regional students put off their studies for a considerable amount of time.
- the cannibalising of student welfare to direct funds to Youth Allowance, particularly the watering-down of critical scholarships does not look good for students already battling, with this as their only means of survival. I do hope the Government comes up with an alternative.
Thank you for continuing the fight Fiona.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 2:16 AM
The recent Review of Student Income support recommended that no measures be cut to fund any of the recommendations it made. Yet this is exactly what the government has done by delaying Master's by coursework students eligibility.
This has been done 3 months before people are due to be paid, and most Masters students have planned their next few years based on this eligibility. This will throw many students plans into chaos and is completely unfair.
Masters degrees are more important than ever and with access to youth allowance, will allow more people to access the courses and more people to study full time.
Financially I don't see how the savings will be that great compared to the hardship Masters students now face. If anything, the government will recover the initial investment through increased tax revenue of highly qualified graduates and faster repayment of HECS debts.
Thanks for the continued fight for a fair system for Masters Students Fiona, please do not let these bills pass with these cuts or 13,000 Masters students plans will be in turmoil.
Thursday, October 20, 2011 3:19 PM
It is simply diabolical for the government to attempt to backflip over the promise to allow Austudy eligibility for Masters by Coursework students. This has been a promise made since 2009, and as noted by Tate many people have made important life decisions based on their unqualified advice.
What is happening to the Bill in the Senate? If it is blocked then I assume the Austudy and Youth Allowance for Masters by coursework will go ahead.
Monday, January 30, 2012 4:56 PM
Thanks to all for your comments. Senator Nash will continue to take them on board.
As you would be aware the Coalition has been fighting very hard for a fair deal for regional students regarding Youth Allowance since the government made changes in March 2010. Finally, in November last year, the government back-flipped and restored independent youth allowance to students from inner regional areas.
Unfortunately, the government has chosen to pay $265 million this measure will cost by savings made by deferring and ceasing other measures to the detriment of other students. As Tate and Mary-Ann point out, it includes the deferral of the measure to extend Youth Allowance eligibility for Masters by Coursework students from 1 January 2012 until 1 January 2014.
Clearly improvements to restore fairness for regional students are still needed. That’s why, when returned to government, the Coalition is committed to revisiting the issue of student support, including for rural students, through a thorough review of student support payments, to ensure a fair, equitable, and open system that is free of anomalies.