Who is on Newstart?

Image source: British Library

Given the current Senate Committee inquiry into the adequacy of the allowance payment system for jobseekers and others it is perhaps worth considering what sort of people are reliant on these payments? Recent data released by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs enables us to explore the characteristics of those receiving these allowances as at June 2011.

Government extends special Youth Allowance access to Inner Regional students

Image: University of the Sunshine Coast

The Government has announced that it will introduce legislation allowing students from inner regional areas to access independent Youth Allowance under the same rules that apply to students from Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote areas.

This follows the Government’s release of a scheduled review of student income support reforms conducted by Professor Kwong Lee Dow (the Dow Review).

The Government brought forward the review by 12 months in response to concerns about access to income support by students in rural and regional areas. The Government has not accepted Professor Dow’s most contentious recommendation which is to remove the current special arrangements for young people from Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote Australia and establish a single new self-supporting criterion for independence for young people.

Will access to ‘gap year’ Youth Allowance improve regional students participation in higher education?

In the recent Senate debate on Senator Nash's private member’s bill to extend the criteria for Independent Youth Allowance to Inner Regional students the issue of why so few regional students go on to tertiary education was raised and an argument made that the ability to take a gap year and qualify for Youth Allowance would improve regional students’ access to and participation in higher education.

Opposition Youth Allowance bill referred to committee

A Private Member's Bill, introduced by Senator Fiona Nash, seeking to make it easier for students in inner regional areas to qualify for Independent Youth Allowance has been referred to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee for inquiry and report by 15 February 2011. The purpose of the bill, the Social Security Amendment (Income Support for Regional Students) Bill 2010, is to require that the eligibility criteria for students on Independent Youth Allowance from very remote, remote and outer regional areas be extended to include inner regional students.

Background to this issue can be found in a recent post on Senator Nash's Bill and a related House of Representatives motion introduced by Opposition Whip, Nola Marino (and passed by 74 votes to 70).

Opposition seeks changes to eligibility for Youth Allowance for inner regional students

The House of Representatives has passed by 74 votes to 70 a motion by Opposition whip Nola Marino ‘requiring’ the Government to introduce legislation that would make it easier for students in inner regional areas to qualify for independent Youth Allowance. Meanwhile, in the Senate, National Party Senator, Fiona Nash, has introduced a private members bill that seeks to introduce a measure along the same lines as that proposed in Ms Marino’s motion.

This issue has its origins in substantial changes to student assistance that the Rudd-Gillard Government introduced through the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Income Support for Students) Bill 2009.