Federal Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan, has welcomed the news that “inner” regional students will once again be eligible to receive Independent Youth Allowance from 1 January 2012.
28 November 2011
Federal Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan, has welcomed the news that “inner” regional students will once again be eligible to receive Independent Youth Allowance from 1 January 2012.
“This is a huge win for all those students and their families who fought the unfair changes brought in by the Gillard Labor Government. It has taken 618 days for the Gillard Government to admit that they got it wrong which is a great shame but full credit to all those students who persevered with their campaign to get the policy changed.
“Students in Ararat, Camperdown, Hamilton, Port Fairy, Warrnambool and other regional towns who were classified as “inner” regional students were denied fair access to vital financial assistance which would have helped them and their families afford to send them to University. Sadly these local students had their study plans turned upside down by the Gillard Labor Government, and some are at least a year behind where they could have been in their tertiary studies.
“Julia Gillard owes these students an apology for the way she has disadvantaged them and their education. She has also caused immense amounts of unnecessary stress for not only the students, but the families of these students, while they grappled with their finances to try and give their children the opportunity of a tertiary education.”
In March 2010, the ALP Government passed legislation that subjected students living in communities classified as “inner regional” to a much tougher set of criteria to access Independent Youth Allowance payments.
“The changes the government made then were simply unfair for regional students. It put the spotlight on how arrogant and out of touch with regional communities this Labor Government really is,” Mr Tehan said.
“I want to acknowledge all those local schools and parents and students who signed and circulated the petitions we had going locally. I particularly also want to acknowledge the important work of people like Toni Jenkins at South West Local Learning and Employment Network who has continued to champion this issue, and the larger issues surrounding the Youth Allowance system. The contributions of individuals and the local community have been vital to the success of this public campaign against the Labor Government’s unfair treatment of country students.”
Legislation passed on Friday through the Senate means students who live in inner regional areas will be able to access independent youth allowance under the single gap year criterion, earning a lump sum of around $20,000p.a, instead of the current unfair 30 hour per week average over two years.
“Regional students and their families should never have been in this position in the first place. All rural and regional students deserve to be treated fairly.”
Copyright © 2010 : Authorised by Dan Tehan, 190 Gray St, Hamilton VIC 3300
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