Students urged to have their say on Youth Allowance
2nd December, 2010
Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss has urged students struggling to access the Independent Youth Allowance to have their say through a Senate inquiry. “There are many students living in so called `inner regional’ areas like Wide Bay who are missing out on the Independent Youth Allowance because of changes that the Labor Government made to the eligibility criteria,” Mr Truss said.
“The Gillard Labor Government has refused to listen to their concerns. But the Senate Inquiry will make sure their voice is heard.”
Students, their families and concerned stakeholders have until December the 6th to make a submission to the inquiry.
Submissions can be sent to eewr.sen@aph.gov.au or to the Committee Secretary of the Senate Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, PO Box 6100, Parliament House, ACT 2600.
A public hearing in Canberra into Independent Youth Allowance will be held on the 17th of December.
The Senate Committee’s report will be released on the 9th of February 2011.
“The inequity must be fixed. Access to affordable tertiary education is real issue for regional students and their families and must be made fair. A senate inquiry highlighted the disparity which found that only 33 per cent of regional students go on to tertiary education compared with 55 per cent of metropolitan students,” Mr Truss said.
“It is hard to comprehend why the Gillard Labor Government would deny essential assistance to regional students when it can find billions of dollars to waste on botched, bungled and maladministered programs.
“The Coalition will continue to fight on behalf of all regional students to fix this injustice.”
Details on the inquiry and how to make a submission can be found at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/eet_ctte/socialsecurity/index.htm.
