Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly I would like to congratulate the graduating class of 2014 on completion of their secondary education. In WA, last week was schoolies week, and around my electorate of O'Connor there was much cause for celebration on reaching this great milestone. Ahead is the beginning of their brave new adventure as adults, and I know many will be contemplating tertiary education. So I not only wish one and all a merry Christmas but say: may the new year bring great exam results and the opportunity to fulfil your dreams.

In 2015 some of the graduates from my electorate will be fortunate to gain acceptance into one of the great regional university campuses or institutes of technology and be able to study while living at home with a support network of family and friends to ease this transition. Others will be moving hundreds of kilometres away from home and setting up a new life to study in the city. Some will live in fully catered halls of residence on, or close to, campus. Others will live off campus in rental accommodation, cooking and cleaning for themselves and commuting to university and college each day. In O'Connor, however, an overwhelming majority of high school graduates will be taking a gap year as a necessary stepping stone to eligibility for youth allowance to facilitate the big move away from home to further their education. I take this opportunity to commend the achievements of all rural and regional students who, despite their isolation from many cultural, sporting and academic opportunities, continue to perform admirably against their metropolitan counterparts.

Deputy Speaker, did you know that, in 2013, students from non-metropolitan areas had an 85 per cent chance of receiving an offer for a place at university, compared to 81 per cent of city kids? Yet, in that same year, less than 62 per cent of those country students would accept their offer, compared to over 73 per cent of their urban counterparts. Of those that accepted, over 16 per cent of country students deferred their enrolment—more than double the deferral rate of city students. These statistics do not take into account those who did not accept a place but chose to take a gap year and apply for a place the following year.

So what does the average country kid do in this break between secondary school and resuming studies—travel the world? Buy a car? Get some life experience? Guess again. Nearly 80 per cent of remote-dwelling students cited 'saving to go to uni' as their rationale, versus 40 per cent of metropolitan school leavers. And 'achieving independent status for Centrelink payments' was over three times more likely to be a country kid's response than when an urban school leaver was asked the same question. Astoundingly, many country kids who do defer resume their studies, despite the obvious attraction of a disposable income and a peer group of employed friends. However, without eligibility for government financial assistance, 15 per cent fewer will return to take up their place in a tertiary institution. This same study deemed that youth allowance eligibility did not influence metropolitan students at all in their decisions to resume studies.

Tragically, many country students take a gap year and work full time to earn the requisite $22,237 threshold to be considered independent for youth allowance purposes only to find that their parents' income is still taken into account and they miss out. For country kids seeking to qualify for youth allowance as 'dependent', I hear many stories of parents failing the eligibility criteria. A joint parental income of less than $48,837 will qualify for a full youth allowance, with benefits cutting out entirely at $103,619 for one child studying away from home. Many parents have a farm or a business asset worth over the threshold, although many dispute that they could sell up and realise its worth. And a caravan on the coast or a small flat bought for the kids to live in to study will blow out the family asset test eligibility criteria. These are real stories from real families in my electorate.

I came to this position as the member for O'Connor on the strength of my commitment to make equitable access to education a priority for all the youngsters in my electorate. In this my first year, I have been working to bring this to the attention of both the Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne, and the Minister for Social Services, Kevin Andrews. I know that both ministers are committed to finding a solution to the barriers faced by regional students accessing tertiary education.

Meanwhile, I urge all school leavers from my electorate and throughout rural and regional Australia to fully investigate their options when considering the next step in their education. Please contact my office if we can be of any assistance.

I would like to conclude by saying to O'Connor's class of 2014: I am proud of your achievements thus far, and I will do my utmost to ease the transition into the next exciting phase of your lives. Enjoy your special time with your friends and family and have a great Christmas.