No Commonwealth Scholarships in 2010

Young people in 2010 will soon find out Labor's abolition of Commonwealth Scholarships last year will mean not a single student will be able to make a scholarship application, Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education said today.

"It was Julia Gillard who decided to abolish Commonwealth scholarships without having an alternative in place. That means there will be no relocation allowances and no scholarships for anyone," Mr Pyne said.

"It was Julia Gillard who refused to address the Coalition's concerns about the flawed Youth Allowance legislation which cuts out the 'gap year' pathway for young people who must leave home to attend University," he said.

"I find it astonishing that a Government that promised an education revolution made no attempt to prioritise the concerns of students, or negotiate with the Coalition to secure passage of the scholarships for 2010 before the Senate rose last year.

"Instead students awaiting university offers will be left with financial uncertainty about what to expect in the way of much-need support to obtain their degrees.

"Parents who cannot afford to support their sons and daughters at university without government assistance, particularly those from rural and remote Australia know that it is Ms Gillard who is responsible. Had the Deputy Prime Minister taken up the Coalition's offer to separate the scholarships from the rest of the Youth Allowance changes, the whole debacle could have been avoided. This offer still stands.

"The Coalition recognises that Scholarship programs are crucial to opening the doors for low income students. Students will now have to wait for the Government to decide when it wants this issue addressed by the Parliament.

"Australia deserves better than a part-time Minister whose actions have left students unable to plan for the future."

December 31, 2009

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Adam Howard

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