Disappointing Sell Out For Regional Students

Media release
The Nationals for Regional Australia
22 February 2011

Regional Students Sold Out

Labor's Independent allies in Parliament have sold out regional students for the hollow promise of a "review" of the unfair Independent Youth Allowance.

Last fortnight the Senate passed a bill moved by The Nationals Senator Fiona Nash to fix problems with the eligibility criteria that deny students living in so-called "inner regional" areas from receiving financial help to fulfill their ambition of getting a university education.

Yesterday, the independents sided with Julia Gillard’s Labor Government to stop any debate on the bill in the House of Representatives.  Their decision means any changes, if they happen at all, will not occur until 2012.  Worse, a cohort of year 12 students who finished school in 2009 cannot possibly be assisted by any changes and will be subject to the current unfair rules.  And students who finished school last year are no clearer on their eligibility, or if they will have to take a gap year or two to try and raise the money they need to get to university.

The Nationals have fought this issue since Julia Gillard created the problem in her previous role as Education Minister. 

The number of regional students obtaining a university education lags well behind that of city students doing the same, with a key contributor being the need to relocate and the high cost of doing so.

With the Labor Government's poor record on following up the more than 200 reviews it has started since 2007 with action, yesterday's decision by Labor and the Independents not to fix the Independent Youth Allowance risks entrenching that disadvantage.  Already, families are being forced to choose which of their children to send to university because they cannot afford to send all of them – and they live on the wrong side of a line on the map used by the government to administer the Allowance.

While Labor and the Independents cited "constitutional" issues in refusing to debate Senator Nash’s bill, the truth is they could fix the problem and treat all regional students the same using their own legislation – if they wanted.

The Nationals are now canvassing other options to help students living in 'inner regional' areas now, and will continue our campaign to deliver a fairer assistance scheme for regional students.