Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sure, I take his interjection. The Prime Minister of this country and her government have overseen a situation where regional students were not provided with independent youth allowance, and that was just a shameful indictment on this government—a shameful indictment on the government and certainly on a Prime Minister who, when she was the Minister for Education, said that she was all about equity. The member for Moreton knows that that certainly was not the case for those regional students, whose name might have been Jennie, might have been Julia or might have been John, Jane or anything else. It certainly was not fair.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

I will take your interjections, but you know it was not fair. And it is certain that they have a tough enough time, member for Moreton, to actually get a tertiary education without being held back by your government.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

I do not have to give you the detail because it was already the fact that you would not provide. Your government would not provide equity in independent youth allowance. You know it and the members on your side though it. I certainly saw the minister for education, Peter Garrett—there you are, I have called him by his full name—come in and make this speech about, 'We are going to provide independent youth allowance equity just because the regional Independents and the regional members of my government—you were probably one of them!—have told me that this is so'. That came after months and months and months of the Nationals standing up for our people, who were not given tertiary independent youth allowance, and it was so unfair.

Mr Perrett interjecting —

You know it! Your members on your side knew it. You can complain and whinge all you like but that is the truth.—

Mr Perrett interjecting —

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