Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

In April last year the Gillard government implemented landmark reforms to youth allowance to give more students the opportunity to go to university by targeting financial assistance at those with the greatest need. As a result of Labor's reforms, we know that more students are now receiving the support they need to pursue a university education. A key element of our package was to increase the parental income test threshold from $33,000 to $45,114, indexed annually. In just 12 months there has been a 108 per cent increase in the number of dependent university students from disadvantaged backgrounds receiving the maximum rate of youth allowance. This change has significantly expanded the number of people who are eligible for youth allowance and has increased the amount of support they are paid. We are seeing more students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and more students getting youth allowance to support them to study.