Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor today foreshadowed changes to the independent youth allowance criteria, enabling more regional students greater access to the funding pool from next year. In his media release the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations said:

… this meets the Government’s commitment, made in February this year, to eliminate regional eligibility distinctions for Youth Allowance with effect from 1 January 2012.

The word 'distinctions' should be replaced by the word 'unfairness'. The government knows it was unfair, palpably so.

Labor has been dragged to this point today and thereby admitted this dreadful wrong needed to be made right only because members on this side of politics and, moreover, members of families affected demanded equity. The coalition, especially Nationals senator for New South Wales Fiona Nash, have been relentlessly demanding the government make these changes. Why Labor decided when the current Prime Minister was education minister that arbitrary lines on a map would determine whether or not country kids, many of whom were in the Riverina, could receive youth allowance defies belief, defies logic and certainly defied any degree of fairness.

We are yet, however, to have Labor clarify whether these changes will be retrospective. If they are not then it means the government has hung 2009-10 inner regional zone school leavers out to dry, as these changes will not apply to them. They have been consigned to the government's current unfair rules. If this is not retrospective, the backflip is too late for students who have fallen through the cracks. (Time expired)