In reply to Senator Fiona Nash’s recent comments regarding my position on the issue of the independent Youth Allowance, I would make the following points:
â- My agreement which enabled the formation of the Federal minority Government included a commitment to conduct a review of the Youth Allowance by July 1, 2012. This was brought forward by 12 months as a result of the Independents’ further negotiations with a commitment given on February 21 this year that inner regional students will be able to access the independent Youth Allowance under the same criteria as outer regional students from January 1, 2012.
â- The Coalition’s proposed legislation to supposedly address the inner/outer regional eligibility criteria was introduced when it was known such legislation would be unconstitutional and therefore ruled not to be the lawful business of the Parliament. Senator Nash needs to be questioned as to why she deliberately introduced an unconstitutional Bill that misled the parents and students involved in this issue. This was simply an attempt by the Coalition to use the emotions and hopes of regional people as political cannon fodder.
â- I received independent legal advice that the Coalition’s proposed laws were indeed unconstitutional. This finding was supported by the Clerks of the Parliament. The Clerks run the business of our Parliament, they provide neutral advice on the legality and correctness of each day’s Parliamentary business.
â- The unfair inner/outer regional criteria arose in the first place because of a deal struck between the Coalition and the Government in the previous Parliament. The letter of agreement was signed on behalf of the Coalition by Christopher Pyne and the Nationals have covered their guilt with politics ever since this agreement allowed the discrimination of inner regional students to occur.
â- Senator Nash fails to acknowledge that many thousands of additional country students who were previously unable to access any Youth Allowance can now access assistance and, despite knowing since February 21 this year that this issue was resolved, has continued to mislead regional parents and students, proving the politics is more important than the issue to Senator Nash. The facts are:
â- In the past 15 months the number of rural and regional university students receiving Youth Allowance has increased by 26 per cent, an additional 7400 students. There has been an 18 per cent increase in the total number of university students receiving Youth Allowance, an additional 24,600. $265 million is being devoted to eliminate regional eligibility distinctions for Youth Allowance and from January 1, 2012 inner regional students will be able to access independent Youth Allowance in the same way as outer regional, remote and very remote students.
â- The Government will increase to $2000 both second and third year relocation scholarships for eligible regional university students required to live away from home. This represents a $900 increase in relocation scholarship payments for each of those two years. It is expected the new measures will continue to improve the support for students in regional areas. It will allow approximately 5500 inner regional students to access payments or receive upward variation in their income support payments and provide about 15,000 regional students with higher relocation scholarship amounts each year.
I stand by my record of supporting country students and their parents on this important issue.
Tony Windsor MP
Member for New England
