Reforming youth allowance: the "independent-at-home" category

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PDFReforming youth allowance: the "independent-at-home" category
Image: Shavar Ross / Flickr

06 November 2009Several of the Youth Allowance eligibility criteria for independent status were subject to severe criticism in the recent Review of Australian Higher Education (2008). Specifically, it seems to be the case that many students are able to qualify for so-called “independent-at-home” financial support even though they may be living in circumstances of relative economic advantage. The paper examines the policy and statistical basis for these claims with the use of data from the HILDA survey and reports apparently strong support for the notion that the rules result in important inequities; the evidence was important to the deliberations of the Review Committee. The Commonwealth Government has recently announced changes to YA consistent with these findings.

Image: Shavar Ross / Flickr

Publication typeReport
Publisher TypeAcademic research centre, APO Member
CoverageAustralia
Permanent URLhttp://apo.org.au/node/19611
Views1742

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