Page 4694 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 10 November 2009
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In the wake of both recent economic instability and longer term structural challenges, there is no doubt the conditions of earning and learning for young Australians have deteriorated in 2009.
As we understand it, teenagers under the new earn or learn policy who are not earning or learning will no longer be eligible for youth allowance. When you look at the commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website and read the State of Australia’s young people report released by Minister Kate Ellis this year, you see that it devotes a few short lines to the possible withdrawal of youth allowance under the heading of “Changes to youth allowance (other)”, and it says:
From 1 July 2009, if you apply for and get Youth Allowance (Other) and you don’t not have Year 12 or a certificate II qualification, you probably need to do further study or training. If you were already getting Youth Allowance before 1 July 2009, this will apply to you from 1 January 2010.
I am not certain how many ACT young people are represented in the 54,523 Australians who are under 21 and not students and who are eligible for youth allowance, but if that is when youth allowance ceases, there is real concern as to how some will survive. Added to this, in 2006 there were over 32,000 homeless young people in Australia, and there is a real danger that they will be further disadvantaged if the allowance is discontinued.
Captain Paul Moulds, coordinator of the Salvation Army’s Oasis Youth Network in New South Wales, in May this year said:
… homeless young people would still require income assistance while they address their personal circumstances. It is simply not possible to attend training courses or obtain employment when you do not know where you will be sleeping each night.
The ACT Greens consider homeless and unemployed young people deserve more in relation to their income support under this new policy from both ACT and commonwealth government politicians than the throwaway line on Minister Ellis’s website of “you probably need to do further study or training” if you want to keep your youth allowance.
There will be significant implications for families and carers of young people and students if this income support is withdrawn or young people in their care are forced into an earn or learn situation when clearly the young person is either experiencing difficulty getting work or is not able to study or capable of further study. This also allows significant buck passing from the commonwealth to the ACT government. The need to support these young people will be left to the community organisations and also, of course, families. As we know, these community organisations and many of these families are already struggling.
With the community organisations, we have seen significant increases in the number of people seeking support, and this has been brought about by many factors, but
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