Budget all Fizz, No Bang for Students

THE AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION (INC.)
TE ROOPU TAUIRA O TE WHARE WAANANGA O TAMAKI MAKAURAU
http://www.ausa.auckland.ac.nz

Media Release
For Immediate Use

Budget all Fizz, No Bang for Students

The Government’s Budget is a step in the right direction in terms of increased student support, but falls far short of introducing worthwhile change for the majority of students, says Auckland University Students Association President Greg Langton.

Langton welcomed changes to the Student Allowance scheme that would allow students to earn a more liveable income from part-time work, but said that the Government had failed to address the key issue of student debt.

“This is all fizz, but no bang”, he said. “Labour has been tinkering around edges of the system for the last five years, without any real commitment to changing the fundamental flaws inherited from National 6 years ago.

“Labour are finally realising that they can’t rely on the student vote, and this is a move to placate their increasing anger,” says Education Vice President Xavier Goldie, “Only time will tell if it’s too little too late”

Langton called on the Government to develop a tertiary education policy that contained vision. “It’s not acceptable that we should have the same poor policies recycled through every year. It’s high time that Labour stepped up to the plate and came up with something that really addressed the problems faced by the tertiary sector.”

ENDS