Tomorrow marks a year since the Labor government made changes to the independent youth allowance eligibility criteria, making it harder for thousands of `inner regional’ students to get the assistance and Federal Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan says local students are still waiting for the Gillard government to get their act together.
“Friday 18 March will be the one year anniversary of the unfair youth allowance changes made it more difficult for many students in western Victoria to be able to access tertiary eduction under the ‘inner regional’ classification,” Mr Tehan said.
“These students have to work 30 hours a week for up to two years to qualify, yet a fairer criteria applies to students living in outer regional, remote and very remote zones but it is overwhelmingly clear that the same fair criteria should apply to all regional based students.
“Local students are still waiting in limbo for the government to come clean on what, if any, changes will be made to the ‘inner regional’ independent youth allowance classification.
“The Government needs to make it clear what they are going to do about the unfair rules it brought in against ‘inner regional’ students a year ago, and stop wasting local students’ opportunities to access tertiary education.
“The Labor government conceded they got it wrong but only agreed to move forward a review of youth allowance to July this year and that any changes will happen in January 2012. The Tertiary Education Minister, Senator Chris Evans, admitted last month that they have no idea at this stage what, if any, changes there would be to the independent youth allowance,” Mr Tehan said.
“The Coalition moved an amendment to make immediate changes at the conclusion of the review in July, to give regional students certainty. But Labor, with the backing of Independents Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Andrew Wilkie, sold out regional students by voting against fairness from the 1st of July this year.
“This is simply not good enough. The Prime Minister and her government must fix the flawed ‘inner regional’ youth allowance classification, and the need to do it with the urgency these students deserve.”
Media Contact: Lisa Downs 03 5561 6405 or 0400 192 205
Copyright © 2010 : Authorised by Dan Tehan, 190 Gray St, Hamilton VIC 3300
Disclaimer | Privacy | Contact
Design by Tin Shed Creations
