Feeling indignant

We discovered today that almost all full time PhD students are going to fall through the cracks with the $950 bonus as part of the governments economic stimulus plan. We don't fulfill the critera for the student or the low-middle income earner categories.

PhD students aren't eligible for Youth Allowance or Austudy, therefore do not fulfill the critera for the student bonus. Due to our low incomes, we don't owe the government any tax, and therefore we don't qualify for the low-middle income earners bonus either (to qualify for the $950 the amount of tax you owe the government has to be "greater than zero"). Thus, most PhD students (and other very low income earners who haven't reached the tax threshold) will miss out. We sense an injustice.

Throughout the day a bunch of us have spoken to our campus student union and postgraduate association, journos, and the presidents of the National Union of Students and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations. NUS and CAPA are going to try and put this issue on the agenda for debate in the Senate.

I know we're not a hard done by population, in the scheme of things. I'm aware of sounding like a spoilt brat. But it's not even about the money anymore (we probably won't get it regardless), it's about not being an invisible group. My understanding is that there are groups lobbying for jobseekers and the unemployed in relation to this issue as well, for the same reasons - they're under the radar.

I won't launch into a great defense of my position here, or go into detail about why it is important to not keep forgetting about research postgraduates at a federal policy level. But if you would like to read some stuff about why it is important to boost independent research (especially that conducted by PhD students), and why it is important to train skilled researchers and academics, and thus why it is important to support and encourage research postgraduates in different ways (and a key way would be financially), you can begin to do so here and here and here.