Scott will continue to fight for regional students

Federal Member for Maranoa Bruce Scott will continue the fight for a better deal for regional students after the Federal Government announced its decision to abolish the discriminatory ‘inner’ regional classification for accessing Youth Allowance.
Mr Scott said the changes were a small win for Maranoa’s students and their families, but stressed that a complete overhaul of the income support system was still necessary.
Under the new rules, students in towns such as Dalby, Kingaroy and Warwick will now be treated the same as those living in western Queensland.
“The government has finally done the right thing and moved to consider all regional students under the same classification,” he said.
“This is a small victory for Maranoa families who have supported me and fought hard to force the government to change the rules, which up until now have discriminated against regional students on the basis of lines on a map.
“However, the government has missed a golden opportunity to completely rework the student income support system and help regional and rural students meet their increased costs associated with attending university.”
Mr Scott said the Coalition’s plan to support rural and regional students was the best way forward.
“The Coalition recognises that students from rural and regional areas are forced to move away from home to attend university and face significant additional costs compared to their city counterparts,” he said.
“Our plan for a Tertiary Access Allowance addresses the issue of inequity.
“It levels the playing field so that all regional students who are forced to relocate to undertake university studies receive support for accommodation and living away from home costs.”