Sharman Stone MP

Stone exposes the real cost of Labor’s changes to Youth Allowance in Murray

October 31, 2011

In a well timed expose’, the real cost of Labor’s changes to Youth Allowance were revealed in parliament today.

Speaking on the Income Changes to Student Amendment Bill in parliament, Dr Sharman Stone, Federal Member for Murray, exposed the Youth Allowance take-up figures for Murray Electorate from 2007 under the Howard Coalition Government compared to the 2011 figures under the Gillard Labor Government. These figures clearly reveal the repercussions of the appalling changes to the legislation made by the Labor Government in 2009.

This Bill in parliament changes Labor’s punative policy back to the policy of the Coalition. In 2007, 137 Murray Electorate tertiary students accessed Independent Youth Allowance. In 2011 just 48 students were able to do the same, to help pay their way to university.

Sharman Stone said, “in Labor’s desperate bid to cut costs they targeted our vulnerable regional students and drew a line in the sand that discriminated against so called “Inner Regional Students”. These students could no longer meet the same Independent Youth Allowance requirements as those in so called “Outer Regional” and “Remote” areas.”

“ In some cases there were students on different sides of the road, where one student was “outer regional” and one student ”inner”. You can only imagine the distress of families after years of drought and a flood. They were now faced with the full cost of up to $20 000 a year to send their child to university,” Sharman Stone said.

“The figures finally released for Murray by the Minister, and today revealed in parliament, clearly demonstrate the choices local families had to make.

The number of students affected by this policy will haunt rural and regional areas for many years. It is well documented that country graduates are the ones most likely to return to regional areas with fewer rural graduates we will have fewer coming back,” Sharman said.

“After two long years of lobbying, the Labor Government finally back flipped.”

“Professor Kwong Lee Dow led the investigation and the findings were so horrendous that the Government was forced to amend its legislation immediately. “

“From Jan 1, 2012 the old Coalition criteria will be in place and students who left school from 2009 onwards can now apply if they meet the requirements. If anyone has any queries about their eligibility they can visit www.deewr.gov.au or contact my office on 03 5821 5371,” Sharman said.

“I also wish to congratulate the many students and families who fought so long and hard to achieve this long awaited outcome,” Sharman Stone said.