November 13, 2015
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester says new reforms that will make it easier for regional families to access financial assistance to help children access university study are a “down payment” on future youth allowance reforms.
The Parliament this week passed the Social Services Legislation amendment for more generous means testing for youth allowance payments, which remove certain assets such as farming properties from the asset test.
About 1200 families from regional and remote areas will be eligible for an increase in payment from the removal of the family actual means test, and there are also expected benefits from the removal of the family assets test.
This change, in particular for farming families, will mean that their farm assets will not be counted toward the test for their children accessing youth allowance.
The amendments were the result of lobbying by Nationals MPs and Senators, led by Mr Chester and Gippsland Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie.
Mr Chester said the wider reform of Youth Allowance remained “unfinished business”.
“The system of student income support, as it stands today, is still broken, and the changes before the House today are a very important step; however, they do not change the fundamental concerns I have with the issue of access for young people in regional communities who are forced to move away from home to attend university,” Mr Chester told Parliament.
“This is a social issue in the sense that it makes good sense, because these young people are more likely to return to their regional communities with the skills they have developed at university, whether it be in law, engineering, health, teaching or other sought-after professions. The bill is a good start but it is really only a down payment on the complete reform, which is still required.”
Mr Chester said he maintained his view there needed to be extra help for students forced to travel in excess of 90 minutes to attend a university.
“It is a simple recognition of the additional costs which regional families face when forced to send their loved ones, their children, away from home to attend university,” Mr Chester said.
Read Mr Chester’s full speech here: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/genpdf/chamber/hansardr/83fc8f93-4bbf-4d67-982c-cec218025c2f/0051/hansard_frag.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf
Or watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivQ334zRe3E