Youth Allowance senate inquiry report a let down

The senate inquiry report into Independent Youth Allowance lacks substance and solutions to making the system fair for regional students, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education, Senator Fiona Nash.

The inquiry looked at the merits of a Coalition bill that seeks to amend the current legislation, making it easier for all regional students to qualify for the assistance.

Thousands of students living in `inner regional’ areas are struggling to qualify for Independent Youth Allowance because they now have to work 30 hours a week for 18 months over a two year period. Full time work is not only hard to find in rural and regional communities, it would be difficult to juggle such a workload for those studying.

The inquiry received over 200 submissions and heard from witnesses at a public hearing in December 2010. It was overwhelmingly told the 30 hour a week work criteria is unfair and has wide ranging ramifications. These include students not be able to afford tertiary studies and mental health concerns.

“Yet the report recommends the Social Security Amendment (Income Support for Regional Students) Bill 2010 not proceed which is incredibly disappointing for all those students and families affected by the Labor government’s changes to the criteria,” Senator Nash said.

“It just doesn’t make sense. Even the chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Labor Senator Gavin Marshall, admitted at the public hearing that “everyone would like to support this bill” and that there’s been “very little opposition to it”. Yet he says it shouldn’t proceed!”

Senator Nash, however, did welcome the recommendation that the education department, at a matter of urgency, finalise its response measures for flood affected students, so they’re not precluded from accessing youth allowance if they can’t meet the work criteria.

She also welcomed a commitment to review the map used to determine what regions students live in and their eligibility. There are many cases where a student is eligible for the allowance yet another in the same town, or street, is not.

“The report says the review will also look at the student income reforms but it doesn’t start before mid 2012,” Senator Nash said. 

“The Coalition believes there should be a more comprehensive review of the educational needs of regional students. It would focus on ways to overcome the inequity in educational opportunities for regional students, including assistance for those required to move away from home.”

Senator Nash thanked those who sent submissions to the inquiry and appeared as witnesses at the public hearing. She also thanked her Coalition colleagues for their contribution, especially the Deputy Chair of the senate committee, Senator Chris Back.

“The Coalition will not give up on this fight. The inquiry report may not have been supportive but the bill is still very much alive. I am hopeful it’ll be passed through the senate when it’s debated tomorrow morning, with the support of Independent senator Nick Xenophon,” she said.

If it does, it then goes to the House of Representatives where its destiny awaits.

Comments

# Daniel McKay

Wednesday, February 09, 2011 11:42 PM

I would like to personally, and sincerely thank you Fiona for the hard work you have put in for the rural and regional youth who have been swallowed up by that deep dark chasm known as 'inner regional'. After following the progress of the inquiry, and reading the Hansard records of the Committee hearing, it seemingly defies belief that they could be so blunt in their ideological and unsympathetic response to the real issue facing hundreds of students. It defies belief that all this trouble could be fixed by inserting two words into the legislation. As much as they are the solution they are a curse 'inner regional'; two words. Yet part of the classification of a map drawn up for a health department. Its amazing the trouble that can be caused by careless boundaries on maps...the partition of India springs to mind. If the government was sincere in their wish to support students, then they would look at the students circumstances rather than their geographical location. Whilst being distracted by the politics, they are unwittingly losing the support of a whole cohort of young 'inner regional' young australians whom hardly take comfort from a review that will take place in 2012, and hardly think kindly of these politicians at the polls.

So as a dispirited young Australian, I thank you Fiona. And to those Labor senators in the committee, I hope that the effects of your 'majority' recommendation make you squirm with guilt at submitting to partisan cronyism.

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# Sad Angry Dad

Thursday, February 10, 2011 12:30 PM

Name and shame the senators involved in perpetuating this youth allowance regional nonsense.

Let's start with Senator Gavin Marshall. He can't be proud of this hatchet job he has done on students as if you go to his website at www.gavinmarshall.org there is nothing about his recent role in trying to bury this amendment or on current youth allowance issues. Ironically the only "on the record" comments he has on the website about student financial support comes from a speech he gave in November 2003 criticising the then Howard government. He concludes "This is a mean-spirited government with mean-spirited intentions." Hear! hear! (hear the hypocrisy)


It is also well known that there is an alarmingly high level of poverty among students, particularly among those undertaking higher and further education in this country. Everyone recognises that we as a nation must be doing more to financially support our students—not less, as this government and this bill would have it. We need to be supporting our young people, financially and otherwise, to ensure that they are able to concentrate on and accelerate at the study they are undertaking. We need our young people equipped with the necessary skills to be important and productive contributors to our society in the future. We should be offering people incentives to encourage further and higher education, not introducing measures that will further prevent them from accessing it. We must not be starving our young people of the much needed funds they require to undertake education and to equip themselves with the necessary skills to become the business and community leaders of the future.

The fact that this government has absolutely no plan to constitute any sort of reformed scheme offering students access to much needed cash is an absolute disgrace. Labor's amendments to this bill will not only retain the option for students to access loans under the Student Financial Supplement Scheme but also ensure that students are fully informed of the conditions of the loan. The amendments will also have the effect of extending rent assistance to Austudy recipients and lowering the age of independence from 25 to 23.

This is a mean-spirited government with mean-spirited intentions.



http://www.gavinmarshall.org/cgi-bin/searchResults.cgi?id=12&detail=1&flag=1

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