By Ally Mullord
Auckland Grey Power director Bill Rayner says the Government has “better things to worry about” than student loans for the over 55s.
Mr Rayner told Firstline this morning the Government’s proposed changes are “petty” and in breach of human rights laws.
The Government has announced that as part of a review of the interest free student loan scheme, it intends to restrict loan access to students over 55, which the Human Rights Commission says is age discrimination, and breaches the Bill of Rights.
Under the changed scheme, students over 55 will still be eligible for loans for course fees, but will no longer be eligible for living costs loans.
Mr Rayner says it’s “absolutely critical” that older people have the option to retrain.
“They're talking now in the press about the need for older people to keep going in the workforce and for people to rejoin, and it's quite critical that people do upskill to take part in the modern economy,” he says.
The Government argues their limited budget is better directed into youth funding, where students will go on to pay tax for a number of years and help fund retirement.
Mr Rayner says the Government are “talking about saving $10 million, which is petty”.
“People who've got the super gold card have been paying taxes for 40 or 50 years,” he says.
While the loan for fees is still in place, Mr Rayner doesn’t think this is enough.
“That seems a completely arbitrary split - if people need support while they're studying it should remain... they should do both.”
Watch the video for the full interview
3 News