Wednesday, 28 March 2007

Turner: Student allowance eligibility will be lowered

United Future education spokesperson Judy Turner agrees with the Students' Association that student debt has reached an alarming level.

"Thankfully work is being done to help thousands more students access allowances they would not have been able to without the confidence and supply win by United Future, "says Mrs Turner.

The New Zealand Union of Students' Association (NZUSA) is marking student debt hitting 9 billion dollars throughout the country and is calling on the government to review the current student allowance eligibility criteria given that living costs make up 40% of student loans over $10,000 dollars.

As part of the confidence and supply agreement with United Future the Government agreed to a reduction in the age eligibility criteria for student allowances.

"This policy assumes that parents are financially responsible to their children until the age of 25, which is of course absurd."

"United Future wants the age a student becomes eligible for an allowance to be lowered to 18 in line with other policy such as working for families, which recognises 18 as the age of financial independence."

"The proposal we will be issuing the government with will push to end the current unjust treatment of students, which has been ignored by successive governments, which will be to the benefit of thousands of students,"
says Mrs Turner.

The proposal is currently being prepared by United Future and will be forwarded to the government prior to negotiations.

ENDS