A FORTNIGHT ago 19-year-old Tim Heal was to receive the "independent" rate of Federal Government assistance to attend university next year.
Tim, from Moglonemby near Euroa, was to work for a year to qualify for the assistance and then study at RMIT in Melbourne.
- Should all non-metropolitan students access the Independent youth allowance? Click here to vote now
- Should the boundaries for the student allowance be redrawn? Have Your Say now in the form below
But now he'll have to work for twice as long.
The Federal Government's changes to the Youth Allowance - also voted for by the Coalition - mean students classified as "inner regional" can no longer qualify for independent assistance that way.
And "inner regional" students include those from Sale, Traralgon, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Ballarat, Bendigo, Warrnambool, Shepparton and Wangaratta.
"It's now a two-year minimum (of working to qualify for independent assistance) as I can't qualify under the old rules," Tim said. "I live in a rural area. I don't know how they call it inner regional."
Tim criticised the use of a map drawn by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. "The map they've used - they could have looked into that a little more," he said.
The map refers to access to health facilities, not higher education opportunities.
"I'm angry ... I'm mostly disappointed with the way the Coalition cut their losses and ... a lot of people have been left out," Tim said. "I'm most sour about that."
Tim's mother, Hilary Sellars, said she couldn't "understand the reasoning behind that classification".
"Do they feel students in 'inner regional' areas have greater access to courses? They don't," Ms Sellars said.
"We always expected he'd work but it will be how many hours - I certainly don't want that to affect his study."
She also said politicians failed to understand how difficult it was for country kids to source employment - regional employers were particularly reluctant to take "gap year" students, she said.
Ms Sellars said many students who were forced to work for two years to qualify for assistance instead of one would give up on higher education.
A spokeswoman for Education Minister Julia Gillard did not respond to request for comment from The Weekly Times.
