Behind the rural retreat

Although 36% of Australians live in regional areas, only 17% of university students come from outside metropolitan areas - and for them it can be a perilous experience.A grim picture of the challenges facing these country students - first in gaining university entrance and then completing a course - emerges from a 55,000-word report by Monash University researcher Naomi Godden, who decided in 2002 to explore their predicament.

"Many factors explain low regional participation, including the significant financial costs for regional young people to study away from home, which most families cannot afford," Ms Godden says.

"The financial barrier to tertiary education is a recognised human rights issue. Many regional young people cannot access youth allowance income support due to stringent eligibility criteria, suggesting (the cause of) low regional tertiary participation."

Her study was jointly sponsored by Monash University, Charles Sturt University, the University of Western Australia and the Foundation for Young Australians. With their backing, Ms Godden, who grew up in the Margaret River region of WA, was able to interview students, parents and community members about their experiences with the youth allowance and access to tertiary education.

The research was a qualitative study involving rural and regional communities in six localities scattered across four states. She conducted interviews and focus groups with 95 people, including year 11 and 12 students and those who had deferred, along with university students, recent graduates, parents, teachers and other community members.

The issues facing regional communities are well known and include rural restructuring, extreme drought, population decline, skills shortages and social disadvantage. Yet all those Ms Godden spoke to acknowledged the importance of tertiary education for a sustainable regional future and for young people's employment prospects.

She found that half the young people taking part in the research wanted to go to university. But the financial difficulties with studying away from home - exacerbated by "neoliberal Commonwealth income support policy" - created a barrier to access.

"Participants believe the most sustainable way to address the regional skills shortage is to adequately support regional young people to access education and training," Ms Godden says. "Regional young people have high expenses when studying away from home - which all participants describe as the biggest challenge, and affects participation and choices."

She says that the cost to regional families is high, especially if their offspring are ineligible for the youth allowance. Indeed, the annual cost for regional young people to study away from home is estimated at up to $20,000 a year, plus the cost of running a car.

Many young people also have emotional difficulties in the transitions to independent living in a city and tertiary education with limited support. Homesickness, depression and fear are common. These are on top of the educational challenges that cause stress and poor health.

"Participants express overwhelmingly negative attitudes towards the youth allowance," Ms Godden says. "Although payments are helpful, the eligibility criteria are far too strict; the allowance does not address the needs of regional Australians (and) participants feel unsupported and ignored, and believe tertiary education is inaccessible for middle-income regional families."

If young people are classified as "dependent", youth allowance eligibility is assessed against their parents' assets and income. Those taking part in the study agreed that the income and assets thresholds are low and unrealistic - and particularly inequitable for farmers or business-owners because their assets (including land) provide income and cannot be sold.

The age of "independence" for the youth allowance is 25 although there are other definitions for full-time students aged 16-24. The most common of these concerns those who have been out of school at least 18 months and earned 75% of the maximum rate of pay.

"To meet the income target, regional young people either defer their studies for one to two years to work (explaining the disproportionately high regional deferral rates), or work intensively during semester and university holidays," Ms Godden says.

The common view among regional students is that Centrelink's definition of independence does not reflect their experience and the age of 25 is much too high. There is also the danger that young people who defer may not return to tertiary education, "having broken the continuum of study and adapted to a new lifestyle and income".

She says the youth allowance is 20% below the poverty line. "The system forces students to either live in poverty or work long hours while studying, affecting their educational performance, wellbeing and connection with family." Many students also lose their Low Income Healthcare Card after holiday work.

Ms Godden recommends all regional young people be eligible for the full independent youth allowance if they have to leave home, and calls for a Federal Government review of eligibility criteria from a regional perspective, increasing parental income and assets thresholds, and reducing the independent 18-month period and income amount.

 

Published: 11 February 2008