Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There are some sitting opposite who have their heads down, looking slightly dismal. I can understand that because, if I had been part of a government that had left behind a higher education system like this, I would feel the same.

The Bradley review also found that youth allowance arrangements were poorly targeted, that assistance was not going to those students most in need. In March this year the government introduced comprehensive reforms to ensure that across Australia more university students had fairer access to student income support. The legislation giving effect to these reforms was supported by the opposition. The changes have benefited students who move away from home to study, particularly rural and regional students and those from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. For many it has meant that they now have the opportunity to attend university. The reforms introduced by the government include lowering the age of independence, an increased threshold for the parental income test—