Coalition proposals to assist students a welcome starting point

The ATN welcomes the Coalition’s proposal for extending the qualifying geographic area for youth allowance to include inner regional Australia.

ATN Executive Director, Vicki Thomson said, “Student poverty is a significant barrier to participation and retention in higher education, and to the development of a skilled and flexible workforce. Adequate financial support, for a broad range of students, which enables them to study and apply themselves, is in the students’ and in Australia’s best interest.”

With more than 190,000 students studying at an ATN university across the nation, the ATN places a high priority on policy outcomes that will support an increase in higher education participation of people from low socio-economic backgrounds.

“As a group of universities, the ATN has long advocated the need for student income support payments to be better targeted, providing assistance to those students who need it the most. Hence we see anything that supports students’ aspirations to obtain a university education as positive indeed.”

While still awaiting the detail of the policy including the funding models attached to the proposal the ATN cautions against reducing other components of student income support to make up the possible funding shortfall which could be created by expanding the qualifying geographic area.

“We would be concerned if the Coalition were to pursue their previous plan for reductions in other income support measures such as reducing the value of the Start-up scholarships - a move which will only disadvantage low income students who rely on it to augment their current benefits.”