A Fair Go For Rural And Regional Youth

A united front of the Coalition and the Greens led by Nationals NSW Senator Fiona Nash and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will push the Rudd Labor Government to deliver a better deal for rural and regional communities. The senators today gave notice of motion to refer the impacts of the changes to the Youth Allowance to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee. “Rural and regional students have been dealt a major blow by proposed changes to the Youth Allowance,” Senator Fiona Nash said. “Up to 30,000 are expected to have their study plans disrupted or destroyed. Anything that diminishes opportunities for young people from rural and regional areas has massive long-term implications. Where will we find the next generation of doctors, dentists, vets, scientists, teachers, nurses and police officers who are committed to rural and regional Australia if they can’t afford to study? “At the State conference in Wagga Wagga the NSW Nationals voted unanimously to condemn the Rudd Government for abandoning regional students with recent changes to the Youth Allowance eligibility. The conference voted to demand the government retain two elements of the workforce participation criteria for independence, to enable more equitable access for students who have to move home to attend university and TAFE.” The proposed inquiry’s Terms of Reference are: An assessment of the adequacy of Government measures to provide equitable access to secondary and post-secondary education opportunities to students from rural and regional communities attending metropolitan institutions, and metropolitan students attending regional universities or TAFE with particular reference to: a. the financial impact on rural and regional students who are attending metropolitan secondary schools, universities or TAFE; b. the education alternatives for rural and regional students wanting to study in regional areas; c. the implications of existing and proposed Government measures on prospective students living in rural and regional areas; d. the short and long term impact of current and proposed Government policies on regional university and TAFE college enrolments; e. the adequacy of Government measures to provide for students who are required to leave home for secondary or post-secondary study; f. the education needs of rural and regional students; g. the impact of Government measures and proposals on rural and regional communities; and h. other related matters.

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