SA: Greens to seek to amend student allowance laws

AAP General News (Australia)
08-26-2009
SA: Greens to seek to amend student allowance laws

ADELAIDE, Aug 26 AAP - The Greens will seek to amend student income support legislation
to ensure country students are not disadvantaged.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said on Wednesday the party welcomed a decision by
the federal government to delay its changes to the income test so as not to disadvantage
students currently taking a gap year by preventing them from qualifying for support.

But she said rural and regional students, who were forced to leave home to study, would
continue to be disadvantaged.

"The Greens urge the coalition to back our amendments to create a new eligibility criteria
for those who are geographically disadvantaged to qualify for student income support,"

Senator Hanson-Young said.

She said it was anticipated providing adequate support for such students and others
disadvantaged by the government's changes would cost an extra $600-$800 million annually.

Labor wants to tighten the eligibility for Youth Allowance making it harder for students
to prove they are financially independent of their parents.

Previously students were told if they earned $20,000 in a gap year before attending
university they would be considered independent and qualify for support.

But the Rudd government announced in the May budget that that particular work criteria
test would be scrapped from 2010.

Now students will have to work 30 hours per week for 18 months to qualify for Youth Allowance.

The proposed changes meant that students already working in their gap year would no
longer qualify for support.

Education Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday announced the federal government would
delay the plan by six months so as not to disadvantage those students.

Senator Hanson-Young said the student groups who waged a strong campaign against the
budget measures were to be congratulated.

"This was a poorly thought out policy scribbled on the back of a napkin," she said.

"It's not fair to simply remove the criterion most commonly used by young people in
rural and regional areas to qualify without replacing it with something else to accommodate
their needs."

AAP tjd/mmr

KEYWORD: STUDENTS GREENS

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