LETTER TO EDITOR - The truth about Saffin's voting record on youth allowance

Dear Editor,

I write in response to the Labor Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, taking credit for the government’s decision to finally fix independent youth allowance.

Ms Saffin may claim to have represented the concerns of regional students in her electorate struggling to access the allowance under the unreasonable 30 hour a week work rule introduced by the Labor government.

However, her voting record in parliament may disappoint your readers.

• A Coalition Notice of Motion in the House of Representatives last October to make independent youth allowance fair for inner regional students by immediately reinstating the same, fair criteria that applied to other regional students – voted against by Labor and the Greens.
• The Coalition’s Social Security Amendment (Income Support for Regional Students) Bill 2010 in the House of Representative in February this year that sought to immediately reinstate the same, fair criteria that applied to other regional students. Labor and the Independents voted to stop debate from even proceeding.
• An amendment to Appropriations legislation in the House of Representatives in early March, again to reinstate the same, fair criteria for `inner regional’ students from July 1 2011, immediately after the review into student income support reforms rather than waiting until next year – defeated by Labor and the Independents.
• A similar amendment to Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Australia legislation later in March – defeated by Labor and the Independents.
• A similar Notice of Motion in the House of Representative in June this year – again defeated by Labor and the Independents.

Ms Saffin welcomed the Gillard government’s decision last week to fix the independent youth allowance matter, which the Coalition, with regional students, have been demanding all along. The government’s backflip will cost $265 million.

Had she supported the Coalition, and truly stuck up for regional students, the problem could have been fixed a lot sooner.

Yours sincerely,

Senator Fiona Nash

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education

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