The Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education, Senator Fiona Nash, is challenging the new parliament to make the Independent Youth Allowance fairer.
A Notice of Motion will today be introduced in the House of Representatives in a move to make this happen.
It requires the government to:
- Urgently introduce legislation to reinstate the former workplace participation criteria for Independent Youth Allowance to apply to students whose family home is located in inner regional areas as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics instrument Australian Standard Geographical Classification; and
- Appropriate funds necessary to meet the additional cost of expanding the criteria for participation, with the funds to come from the Education Investment Fund.
“Thousands of students living in regional areas are missing out on the Independent Youth Allowance because of geographic divisions on a map that Julia Gillard put in place, when she was the education minister,” Senator Nash said.
“When you look at the cost on families who have no choice but to send their children away to university, it’s just appalling.
“I call on Julia Gillard and her government, the Greens and Independents to prove they’re genuinely concerned about regional Australia and back this move to make the Independent Youth Allowance fairer.”
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