Independent Youth Allowance senate inquiry

A senate inquiry held last month was told of the financial and emotional toll changes to the Independent Youth Allowance are having on regional students and their families. The Labor government’s changes to the eligibility criteria unfairly discriminate against students living in `inner regional’ areas, making it harder for them to qualify. They have to work 30 hours a week for 18 months, over a two year period – a criteria that was largely criticised at the hearing.

A university student told of her experience chopping mouldy potatoes in a factory so she could qualify while others work several jobs.
The Injury Control Council of Western Australia spoke of the financial pressure on students and their families leading to family disharmony, mental health issues, and a feeling of shame and isolation.
The NSW Country Women’s Association said students are hiding their education dreams for fear of burdening their parents with the cost.
The hearing heard how the floods have exacerbated the financial stress for regional families.
The Australian Parents’ Council called for an audit to be done on education spending and to stop waste, citing the BER as an example.

Officials from the Australian Bureau of Statistics also acknowledged the maps used to determine what regions students live in, and therefore their eligibility, are not appropriate. There is a strong consensus among the witnesses and submissions to the inquiry to fix the criteria, which is what my Private Senator’s Bill aims to do. The Coalition won’t give up. The senate committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations will release its report and recommendations on the 9th of February 2011. Details on the inquiry and submissions can be found at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/eet_ctte/socialsecurity/index.htm.

Regional Education tour

Senator Fiona Nash with
students at the Bullimbal
Special Education School in
Tamworth.

The Independent Youth Allowance was raised during the first leg of my national Regional Education Tour last month. Several students spoke of the inequity at a public forum in Port Macquarie, as did other education stakeholders. Other issues were school funding, the MySchool website, NAPLAN, the Building Education Revolution, the Bradley Review of tertiary education, attracting and retaining teachers and principals, and higher education participation to name a few. The tour included meetings with school principals, the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association, council and TAFE representatives in Port Macquarie; a visit to the University of New England in Armidale and the Bullimbal special education school at Tamworth; and a tour of the University of NSW’s Rural Clinical School at Port Macquarie. My next stop will be the outback, to learn about education issues in remote areas. The feedback from the tour will assist the Coalition in developing a regional education policy that makes a difference. Stay tuned!

Murray Darling Basin tour

Inspection of Murrumbidgee
Irrigation’s Barren Box
storage/environment project
near Griffith, NSW

It’s been a busy few weeks with another tour, this time of the Murray Darling Basin in the NSW Riverina. I was joined by my Coalition colleagues – the Nationals Federal Leader, Warren Truss (also Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport); and Senators Barnaby Joyce (Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Water) and Simon Birmingham (Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray- Darling Basin and Environment). The tour was initiated in the wake of proposed water cuts in the Basin. Our travels included Corowa, Deniliquin, Finley, Jerilderie, Griffith, Whitton, Leeton and Coleambally where we met irrigators and community stakeholders. These communities face devastation if water cuts were to happen. They’ve already endured cuts during a decade of drought and now worry there’ll be a permanent man-made drought. Points raised include the broader effect on communities, real estate and land values; the added cost burden of de-irrigating a property; and micro-management by bureaucracy holding up water efficiency projects. The Murray and Murrumbidgee irrigation companies say there’d be thousands of jobs lost across the region, reduced services, stranded assets, and higher water and infrastructure costs. They’re understandably concerned there’ll be destructive flood events as a result of environmental flows, that there is no environmental watering plan, and that environmental works are not acknowledged. The unanimous view among stakeholders is that local communities and industry must be properly consulted and involved. The Coalition is open to discussing the Murray- Darling Basin legislation and policy so that a triple-bottom line for the economy, the community and the environment is delivered. We will keep fighting for this to happen

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