[Greens-Media] Young Australians under threat from plans to withhold vital income support

[Redman, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

6th May 2014

Young Australians under threat from plans to withhold vital income support

The Australian Greens said today that calls to take income support away from teenagers will expose them to poverty and homelessness.

"'Earn or learn' is a cruel sound bite from Tony Abbott and his mining magnate backers," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on family and community services said today.

"Taking vital income support away from young people ignores the serious personal circumstances many will be facing, and the move would make it considerably harder for them to transition into work or study.

"Forcing school leavers to wait six months before they can apply for income support and depriving young adults of a financial safety net puts them at an increased risk of being exposed to poverty or facing threats such as homelessness, which can have lifelong impacts and would seriously undermine their efforts to find work or commence study or training.

"Rather than punishing people with budget cuts, the Government should be investing in better support services to help young people pursue their study and training options without being dumped into severe financial hardship.

"These comments come on the same day as Mission Australia's Jobless Families Report, which shows young people with unemployed parents are less likely to be happy at school, in part time work or planning to attend university. Around half the young people in this situation reported a lack of confidence in their ability to find work. 

"Mission Australia's report reflects the complexities around poverty and unemployment, factors that are not addressed by depriving young, vulnerable people of income support," Senator Siewert concluded.