The Nationals Senator for New South Wales John Williams has called on Independent members Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott to support a move to make the independent Youth Allowance fairer.

Senator Williams said Nationals Senator Fiona Nash, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education, is attempting to redress an anomaly with the Federal Government’s workforce participation criteria that is excluding many regional students from accessing independent youth allowance.

The Nationals and Liberals had clawed back concessions earlier this year to enable gap year students in outer regional, remote and very remote areas as defined by the Australian Standard Geographical Classification to qualify by earning $19,500 over an 18 month period.

But an amendment to include inner regional areas including Tamworth and Armidale was blocked by the Greens in the Senate.

“The Nationals want to reinstate the inner regional areas to make students living in those towns eligible. It will make it easier for many hundreds of students in Tamworth and Armidale to seek a University education.

Mr. Windsor, the Member for New England, deserted regional students by supporting the Labor Government when it originally introduced the stringent new criteria without consideration for country students.

He now has the opportunity, a word he has used a lot lately, to rectify his mistake and support the Nationals to make it fairer for all regional students”, Senator Williams said.