This week in Parliament Prime Minister Gillard finally admitted that she got it wrong on the changes she made to Independent Youth Allowance which led to hundreds of students from Western Victoria not being able to afford a tertiary education.
Federal Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan has stated that while this belated admission is a step in the right direction, it is disappointing that Prime Minister Gillard will only bring about change from 1 January next year.
“The Government has used this new ‘announcement’ to win the support of the Independents and stop debate on a Coalition Bill, which, if passed, would have ended the discrimination between ‘inner regional’ and ‘outer regional’ students immediately,” Mr Tehan said.
“Under the Gillard Government’s approach, which was supported by the Independents, inner regional students who started tertiary studies in 2010 and 2011 it would seem have been left high and dry.
“This is not a Government making common sense and fair decisions for all, ensuring that rural and regional students have equal access to education. This is a Labor Government begrudgingly admitting defeat and desperately trying to avoid the shame of losing a vote in the lower house.
“This outcome is a political fix, wholly aimed at minimising the political damage to the Government, rather than at fixing the problem for students in towns such as Ararat, Beaufort, Camperdown, Hamilton, Port Fairy and Warrnambool,” Mr Tehan said.
A recent report, The 2010 Deferring a University Offer in Regional Victoria Report, confirms that rural and regional students are way behind their metropolitan counterparts when it comes to equal access to tertiary education. It found that 15.2% of regional students deferred in 2010, compared with 7.8% of city students.
It also found that 30% of young people who defer from attending university later fail to take up their offers or remain in the course.
“Rather than delaying her back‐down on this issue, Prime Minister Gillard should be looking to take positive steps to stop the gap that is growing between country and city students accessing tertiary education,” Mr Tehan said.
“She could start by recognising that country students who are forced to move away from home to attend tertiary studies face higher costs, both living and accommodation, than city students.”
Media Contact: Lisa Downs 03 5561 6405 or 0400 192 205
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