Mallard gives students the Heineken treatment

National’s Education spokesman, Bill English, says it’s outrageous that Trevor Mallard is blaming students for the failure of his $65 million student support package.

“Mr Mallard’s statement that part-time work is a disincentive to students picking up a student allowance is an insult to students working hard to make ends meet and get ahead.”

Labour claimed last year that 28,000 more students would receive student allowances in 2005. In fact, numbers from StudyLink show that 3,000 fewer students picked up a student allowance in the first quarter of 2005 than in the same period last year.

“This is just one more example of the Mallard-Maharey mess in the tertiary sector. Mr Mallard has real nerve to turn around and blame it on students,” says Mr English.

“Students pump petrol and wait tables to get enough to live, not because they can’t be bothered applying for an allowance.

“The incompetence of this debacle is bad enough without Mr Mallard’s aggressive arrogance and finger-pointing.”

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