Transcript - Doorstop Interview - 26 August 2009

SUBJECTS: Changes to Youth Allowance, Bradfield by-election

JOURNALIST:

This backdown by Julia Gillard - this is exactly what you wanted?

PYNE:

No, it's far from it. We welcome the fact that the Government has begun the process of eating humble pie over their mistakes with the Youth Allowance reforms but they've got a long way to go. The Budget papers the Government produced in May show that 30 000 young people would be affected by their Youth Allowance reforms negatively. Julia Gillard has announced last night, in the dead of night, that five thousand would be taken care of by changing the start dates for the program, for children in their gap year. But that doesn't take care of the 25 700 that are negatively impacted upon by these reforms. So Julia Gillard has started the process of eating humble pie, but she's got quite a lot to go before she finishes all the dishes in this banquet. This Opposition's not satisfied, students are not satisfied. The Government is so out of touch with rural and regional students that they haven't even tried to address the 30 hour a week Work Test, which is virtually impossible for country young people to fulfil. They need to do that...look at that, how make it fairer. For those people who are in their gap year they still haven't fixed the retrospectivity of these changes. The Coalition thought that to do this, it would cost around $570 million. The Government has said that the changes they've made last night will cost $150 million. So there's a huge gap between this backdown and the reality for young people who, when they turn up to Centrelink, will find that they don't access Youth Allowance even though they're in their gap year. Julia Gillard is seeking credit, where credit is not due. This is a smoke-and-mirrors attempt to throw a difficult political problem off from the agenda. It won't work, it's not going to fool students and the Opposition's going to keep its pressure up until the problems are resolved. They've not met the requirements we've asked for.

JOURNALIST:

Would you go so far as to back the Greens changes regarding Youth Allowance?

PYNE:

Well the Opposition and the Greens have been saying very similar things since the Budget in May. We want to see amendments to the Government's program and Julia Gillard has admitted the mistakes in her Youth Allowance reforms in the dead of night, last night. But she's only just begun. The Greens agree with the Opposition. That there needs to be further amendments to these Youth Allowance reforms, we won't rest until at least the retrospectivity is removed. And at least the commitment is given to address the 30 hour a week Work Test that country people will not be able to fulfil. So Julia Gillard has started the process of a backflip but she's not quite reached the arc at this stage.

JOURNALIST:

Regarding regional and rural students, would you go so far as to say there should be new eligibility criteria?

PYNE:

Well the...Julia Gillard could scrap the reforms that were announced in the Budget and start all over again. That would be one option...open to her, I'm not sure that she has the personality that would accept such an error on her part. We've seen the stubbornness to accept her failure of Computers in Schools program, the school stimulus debacle...trade Training Centres and now youth Allowance debacle. The Youth Allowance reforms. But I at least expect the Government to commit to seriously considering the Opposition's and the Greens' amendments to these Bills get introduced because we want to see the retrospective activity from them removed. We also want to see a commitment to addressing the Work Test.

JOURNALIST:

...is it fair to say she's expecting some students to pay for the others? Is that sort of where it comes to whereby delaying this...the cost of it by example to offset the others?

PYNE:

In the comments she made last night, she does rob Peter to pay Paul. It does seem unusual that in a Government to have gone from a $57.6 bill of deficit and $315 billion of debt they've suddenly discovered that being fiscally conservative is a sensible cause and trying to pay for their changes announces last night by taking benefits away from others...it's really become something of a mess and Julia Gillard needs to accept there's a lot more to be done and just removing five thousand young people from the disadvantaged list. There are 30 700 young people who have been disadvantaged by these reforms and there are still 25 700 to go.

JOURNALIST:

What's the effect this will have in long-term on our capacity to foster skills in Australia, if people can't access...?

PYNE:

Well it's particularly bad for rural and regional youth. Rural and regional youth are already accepted as being disadvantaged by members of higher education. Rural and regional youth are under-represented at universities. Making it harder for them to go to university is precisely the opposite thing that the Government should be doing. Everyone knows that if you are from a rural and regional area and you go to university there's a fair chance that you'll head back to...where you came from and set up shop there. It is very unlikely that will happen with city young people moving to the country. So forcing young people out of areas with higher education is going to have a very long-term impact on the kinds of services offered to people in rural and regional country areas.

JOURNALIST:

Regarding the by-election, do you think it's sour grapes on Brendan Nelson's part?

PYNE:

Look, no. Brendan Nelson has made a great contribution to Parliament, public life. He's been the Minister for Defence, a Minister for Education, Leader of the Opposition...and it's not a life sentence, politics, and if he wishes to retire he's perfectly entitled to do so.

JOURNALIST:

Perhaps it can be said that an old Ignatian has gone out the door?

PYNE:

Well he and I are the two Athelstone Ignatian's in Parliament so...I'm sure there'll be another one who will replace him at some point.

JOURNALIST:

Now Labor, I think, has signalled that they will probably not be running in this by-election, would the Liberals perhaps be looking to do a similar thing in Labor strong-held seats, maybe not run a Liberal candidate?

PYNE:

Well I always believe in running a Liberal candidate in by-elections because I think that there are Liberal voters who deserve the opportunity to vote for the Party of their choice. It's like not turning up to the Grand Final and expecting your supporters to continue to support you in any event. I think it's cowardly of Labor to squib the by-election. It doesn't surprise me, though...they don't want to public to get the chance to vote on their debt and deficit from the Budget. About their handling of the economy. So they will squib it. Labor usually squibs the real fight and they'll squib this on in Bradfield.

(ends)