Labor is desperate to kill off a bill that would help regional students afford a tertiary education, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education, Senator Fiona Nash, said.
“The Tertiary Education Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Chris Evans, has tried to pressure the President of the Senate to quash my Private Senator’s Bill that would make the Independent Youth Allowance criteria fairer to students living in `inner regional’ areas,” she said.
“It’s the second such attempt after Labor, the Greens and Independent Nick Xenophon stopped debate on the bill in the senate earlier this week.”
In a letter to the President of the Senate, the Minister asked that “steps may be taken to ensure the Bill does not proceed”.
The Minister says the Private Senator’s Bill is not appropriate because of a technicality over funding. It is based on the view of the Labor Government’s Attorney-General.
Yet the President of the Senate disagrees. In a letter to the Minister, the President says: “…the Bill introduced by Senator Nash is quite in accordance with the Senate’s view of section 53 of the constitution.
“….it is quite inappropriate for you to ask me to take steps to ensure that a Bill does not proceed on any basis…”
“It is evident the Minister is trying to heavy the President of the Senate to stop my Bill from seeing the light of day,” Senator Nash said.
“It is quite extraordinary given that bills of a similar nature have proceeded through the senate before. And it’s disturbing that Labor is so adamant in blocking fairness for thousands of `inner regional’ students.
“The Liberal-National Coalition will keep fighting on their behalf.”
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