Gillard’s Independent Youth Allowance unfair
February 18, 2011
Local students, parents and their families are being encouraged to call Prime Minister Julia Gillard and tell her that her failure to allow debate on a Bill that would make Independent Youth Allowance fairer is undemocratic and un-Australian.
Dr Sharman Stone, Federal Member for Murray, said in the last Parliamentary sitting, the Coalition with support of the Independents, passed the Coalition’s Social Security Amendment (Income support for regional students) Bill 2010 in the Senate. Labor and the Greens voted against the Bill.
“The Bill called for the Labor Government’s Independent Youth Allowance criteria to be changed, to allow students classed as living in ‘inner regional’ areas to apply under the same fairer criteria as their ‘outer regional’ and ‘remote’ counterparts. The ‘inner regional’ area extends from the edge of Melbourne up to Deniliquin.
“The Bill now need’s to be debated in the House of Representatives, before it can be put into action, but Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said she will stop that from happening,” Sharman Stone said.
“It is absurd that our Prime Minister cannot set aside her stubbornness and introduce the Bill, to the House of Representatives for debate.
“A Notice of Motion has had the support of the House of Representatives on this issue before, so it’s likely that if the support of the Independents could be retained, then the criteria could be changed immediately.
“Instead, the Prime Minister is denying rural students the urgently needed financial support to move out of home to study.
“Students in Murray have shared their stories with the Prime Minister directly; they have rallied in the mall in Shepparton and signed petitions.
The Prime Minister knows that students forced to leave home to study can simply not afford the $20,000 cost per year to study, and that virtually full time work for two years is very difficult.
“The Coalition’s Independent Youth Allowance system needs to be reinstated,” Sharman Stone said.
“So far our efforts have forced Prime Minister Gillard to change the rules for those students living in ‘outer regional’ and ‘remote’ areas. We cannot give up the fight until every regional student gets a fair go.
“I encourage parents, students and families to lobby Prime Minister Gillard or Tertiary Education Minister Senator Chris Evans and members of the Greens directly and tell them that stalling this Bill is unfair and very bad for the long term future of regional communities,” Sharman Stone said.
There are currently no comments, be the first to post one.