Gillard buckles on Youth Allowance: All Country Students set to receive the Independent Rate
September 14, 2011
Gillard buckles on Youth Allowance: All Country Students set to receive the Independent Rate
After two years of incredible struggle, the Gillard Government has finally buckled and agreed that it has to reinstate the independent Youth Allowance for all country students.
Federal Member for Murray, Dr Sharman Stone said that the announcement today was excellent news. Unfortunately we have lost two years of our year 12 students being able to take up their university offers and move to somewhere else to study.
Sharman Stone said that the changes will align the so-called inner region with the outer region so that the same criteria will exist, giving students for example the option of 15 hours of work per week over a two-year period making, them eligible for the independent Youth Allowance.
“While the scheme is still not perfect, at least it gives families some hope of being able to support their students to take up university offers. Everyone knows that our country professionals, our nurses, teachers, doctors, lawyers and surveyors are most likely those that are born and bred in country areas.” Sharman Stone said.
“By making it impossible for country students to take up university places, the Gillard Government was paving the way for more skills shortages in country areas in the future. This was a short sighted policy doing great damage to regional economies but also destroying the hopes and aspirations of our country students, who worked so hard to get those year 12 results.
“I want to congratulate all of those students, parents and other community members, grandparents, cousins and brothers and sisters who marched in the streets. We held rallies in the Shepparton Mall; we had thousands of names on petitions which were presented to Parliament. The community effort was enormous, but it has finally paid off.”
“The changes commence in January 2012. Let’s hope some of those students - whose plans to go to university were stopped by the Gillard Government – still have the capacity or the interest to reapply for university and I wish them all the luck in the world,” Sharman Stone said.
Media Contact: Jonathan Clark 0417 148 110