I don't support Abstudy either

Of course, what made his argument so memorable was that he was wearing a t-shirt with holes in it, poorly fitting shorts and cheap thongs in winter, and his forearm tan marks told me he worked long hours in high-vis gear, like on a roadside, and had probably never owned a watch. But his daughter was going to university as an equal.

I'm all for positive support mechanisms. Alternative entry and recruitment programs that seek out and support people who may not have considered or may not have otherwise qualified but would do well at tertiary study are crucial for extending the opportunity of education as far and as wide as possible. Specialist support units such as Oorala at UNE should also be funded to the sky to give appropriate support to help bridge the gap and help more Indigenous students in to and through tertiary study, as well as support Indigenous studies. And the more scholarships targeted at specific groups of students for whatever group needs to be encouraged to study the better.

But when you take the baseline financial support payment, and you make it separate, and different, you create trouble. Even without the vast majority of other students knowing about all the extra payments that go along with Abstudy. Yeah sure, the basic living payment is comparable with Newstart/Youth Allowance. Enormous differences in the extras and for things like the rates paid to people studying their masters or doctorates.

But even without the extras, it's still one set of rules for the black kids, and one set of rules for the white kids. And that means trouble.

Even if those rules were word for word identical and just the names were different, the suspicion would remain.

(Please note that I am choosing at this time to *not* start a rant about how utterly stupid it is that or system punishes those over 25 who chose to reskill rather than sit around unemployed for an insanely long period of time before returning to study by having much lower benefits with Austudy, or generally that we have lower benefits for study than unemployment.)

Did the Queensland LNP communicate their message most artfully and effectively? Well, they rarely get points for style, why start scoring now. I'm not really commenting on the specifics, I'm just saying that on the practical point I happen to agree. I don't think we should have Abstudy – I think we should have one support payment for students, whatever race you are and whatever you are studying, and that payment should be enough to enable you to actually live and focus on your study.

With so much discussion about issues in our social security system, perhaps it is time for a big overhaul, Henry Tax Review kinda style as opposed to current tiny Senate review on a couple of issues to do with payments currently in progress?