Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. My electorate of Brisbane has the youngest demographic in Queensland. Young people both in Brisbane and across the country feel left behind, struggling to afford rent, seeing their HECS debt skyrocket and watching their standards of living drop. Under the changes proposed in the budget, the rate of youth allowance will be $602.80 per fortnight, just $43 a day. Young people do not get discounts on their rent or groceries, so why is youth allowance still one of the lowest income support payments?

See this speech in context