Sophie Supports Youth Allowance Amendments
10-June-2009
Sophie Mirabella MP, Federal Liberal Member for Indi today strongly backed the Coalition’s stance to amend the retrospective changes to Youth Allowance to ensure that students currently undertaking their gap year will still receive Youth Allowance in 2010.
“What the Rudd Government doesn’t seem to care about is that students have made decisions to defer study for a year in good faith, relying on advice from their schools’ course advisers, Centrelink officials, and information from the Government,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“We are opposed to retrospective changes to legislation and will seek to fix this discrepancy by amending the start date of the new workforce participation criteria from 1 January 2010 to 1 January 2011.”
In addition the Coalition will propose a new “Rural and Regional Scholarship” program that will assist rural and regional students who do not have the luxury of being able to stay home with their parents while attending University, and who must move away to pursue their higher education.
“We will need the continuing support of students and parents to convince the Government and minor parties to see reason on this. I’d urge everyone worried about Youth Allowance to add their comments to www.educationforaustralia.com.au,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“This is in addition to the Coalition moving to establish a special Senate Enquiry into the Rudd Government’s changes to the Youth Allowance and the challenges facing students who must live out of home to study so that changes can be made to better support disadvantaged rural and regional students.”
“Personally, I have spoken in Parliament on the implications of the Government’s changes to the Youth Allowance eligibility criteria and have also written to the Deputy Prime Minister to urge her to consider the impact the changes will have on local students,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“I will continue to put pressure on the Government to back down from its proposed changes to the Youth Allowance,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.