Senator Fiona Nash

LETTER TO EDITOR - Tell the truth Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor

Dear Editor, 

The Independent Members for Lyne, Rob Oakeshott, and New England, Tony Windsor, have once again misled your readers over independent youth allowance. 

I wish to set the record straight.

• Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor say they negotiated with the Labor government in February to bring forward 12 months a review of youth allowance with any changes to be made 1 January next year. They could have supported the Coalition’s bill at the time to fix the problem immediately and not make students wait any longer. What does Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor say to the many students they and the Labor government left in limbo for most of this year?
• Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor misleadingly claim the Coalition’s bill to fix independent youth allowance was unconstitutional. The Independents are well aware that both the Clerk of the Senate and President of the Senate deemed it constitutional.
• Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor claim the Coalition did a deal with the government to introduce changes to independent youth allowance. They fail to mention the fact that the Coalition moved an amendment at the time the legislation was debated, opposing the 30 hour workforce rule for independent youth allowance for students in inner regional areas and requiring all regional students be treated equally. The Coalition had asked the Minister at the time, Julia Gillard, to split the bill as there were other positive measures in the legislation that the Coalition wanted to support. She refused to do so, so the Coalition had no choice but to pass the bill as a whole. Which is why we moved the immediate amendment that inner regional students be treated exactly the same as other regional students. Again, Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor are well aware that this was defeated by Labor and the Greens.
• Mr Windsor says the issue was “resolved” in February this year – again he’s ignoring the fact that so many students were left in limbo for many months. There was also no guarantee at the time from the government what form that resolution would take, apart from the statement that the eligibility distinctions would be removed. There was no further information forthcoming from the government at the time.
• Mr Windsor claims the number of regional students receiving youth allowance has increased by 26 per cent, or an additional 7400 students. He fails to say how many are actually receiving independent youth allowance, compared to those on dependent youth allowance. Nor does he mention that many students receiving dependent youth allowance are only receiving a part rate of the payment.
• Mr Windsor says $265 million is being devoted to make independent youth allowance fairer, as announced by the government this month. The government is cutting and ceasing other programs to the detriment of other students to pay for it. Had Julia Gillard and the government not stuffed up in the first place, it wouldn’t have to make these cuts. 
• Mr Windsor says the Relocation Scholarship will be increased for the second and third year of study – he fails to mention that students receiving independent youth allowance are not eligible. 

Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor have opposed every move by the Coalition to fix independent youth allowance for the last 11 months. Their voting record proves it. 

They should stop taking regional students and their families for fools.

Yours sincerely, 

Senator Fiona Nash 

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education