Hey everyone, sorry I've been MIA from this blog for over a week now! I had it all planned out that I would post a new blog entry that was funny and entertaining but unfortunately the issue that I've decided to blog about today is a controversial one that has been upsetting me for the past 4-5 years.
I graduated high school in 2006 and started full-time study at university in 2007. During that time I worked on average 10 hours a week in part time employment as well as taking on board "jobs" such as baby-sitting and research marketing in order to help offset the costs of being a full time student. Now during the time I attended university I lived at home with my parents and I relied on them to pay for my living expenses even at the age of 21 (my final year of study). I wasn't able to receive any government assistance such as youth allowance to help me during those four years because according to centrelink, my parents earned too much money. Fair enough, as a tax payer myself now, I understand that it was my decision to be a full-time student and I knew the costs associated with attending university before I even applied but what really used to fire me up was the unfairness of the youth allowance scheme.
Take for example my friend, she received $250 from centrelink every week because her parents didn't earn an above average income. I don't begrudge her the financial assistance in that regard but the $200 allowed her to move out of home and rent her own apartment and she only had to work 5 hours a week, just so she had some money on the side to go out with friends.
Example two is my other friend, who decided to take some time off from studying to work fulltime before heading back to university the following year. Because she earned a fair amount of money in that year, she was eligible for youth allowance upon returning to her studies. What irritates me in this situation, is not that she receives government payments, it's that she doesn't work at all because she doesn't need to since the government is paying her a steady income every week.
Now when I say I'm not eligible for centrelink because my parents earn too much money, I have to clarify my parents financial situation. My parents both work full time, in good jobs that give them each an income of around $60K a year. My sister and I have never gone with out, and have been spoilt our whole lives however at the end of the day my parents aren't earning a massively high income when you take into account the cost of living, a mortgage, the expenses of running two family cars and utility bills. They make enough to be comfortable but they work hard for every cent. So here I was at 21 years old, still studying and only working part time, and I was expecting my parents to spend hundreds of dollars every semester on textbooks, provide me with all of my living expenses and also give me a travel allowance of $30 a week to get to and from uni.
My parents supported my decision to go to university and were willing to cover these expenses however at what point are parents able to stop "paying" for their children. My issue with the clause on centrelink payments is that, at 21 I was an adult, legal in every country in the world and I made a decision to attend university for 4 years in the hope that I could graduate with a degree that would allow me to get a good job/career. At 21 I shouldn't have to be dependent on my parents for everything. At 21, my parent's income shouldn't be a factor as to whether I get government financial assistance. At 21, my parents shouldn't be forced to give me 'X' amount of money every week or month. It's their hard earned money and I'm not a 'child' that they legally need to support anymore.
I think the real problem that I have with centrelink is that it's sending young people the wrong message. Its discouraging us from transitioning straight from high school to university, because if we take a year off to work than we can get money every week off the government when we go back to studying. It's punishing youths who come from families who earn decent, but not ridiculously high income. My friend in example one was able to move into a place with her friends and be independent because he parents earned a low income, while I was forced to live at home because my parents didn't earn enough to pay for rent on a second place.
Here's the reality of the situation: I studied for 4 years while working permanent part time, graduated, and now I'm working as a teacher, paying my taxes to the Australian government and contributing to society. I have never received a cent off the government and probably never will. Meanwhile my friend, in example two, worked full time for 9 months straight after high school and has now been studying at university for 6 years, receiving centrelink payments every week for 6 years and hasn't worked a day in the past 4 years because she doesn't have to. Where is the fairness in that?
Please note: I fully support government payments to those people who truly need the assistance, however I am frustrated at the loopholes that are in our current system that allow people to take advantage of the system and use it as an excuse not to work. I'm genuinely sorry if I offend anyone.
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