The Albanese government passed legislation through Parliament on Wednesday that will wipe $3bn of debt for Aussie students. The policy will link HECS indexation to the wage price index instead of the consumer price index, the latter of which has ...
More »Albanese flags radical changes to student debt – with a 20% overall cut and drop in payment rates
Over the weekend, the Albanese government announced radical changes to student loans, which would kick in after the next federal election. Three million Australians with student debt could see their balances cut by 20 per cent. The remaining debt would ...
More »HECS-HELP reform key election agenda for Albanese govt
Cash-strapped Australian graduates will not have to pay back their student debt until they earn at least $67,000 as the Albanese government flags HELP reform as a key election agenda. At a rally alongside South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas this ...
More »UK Universities all want higher fees and funding – but the government may prefer a more targeted approach
Like most of the UK, universities were surprised by the timing of July’s general election. They had no time to influence the incoming Labour government’s policy commitments. Labour’s manifesto acknowledged the financial problems suffered by England’s universities, which are caused ...
More »Australia’s spending on higher ed compared to other OECD countries
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Education at a Glance 2024 report shows how tertiary education in Australia is tracking, and how government spending sits in relation to other countries. The report, released annually, provides a snapshot of ...
More »All health students should have paid prac, sector says
Placement poverty experienced by students studying clinical allied health sciences is being ignored, Australia's council of allied health deans has said in its response to paid work placements being implemented for teaching, nursing, social work and midwifery students. Announced in May, eligible students are able ...
More »Reversing job-ready graduate fees for Arts students not as expensive as it seems
Speculation about reversing the infamous job-ready graduates (JRG) scheme has increased after the Albanese government changed the way university loans are indexed, but did not offer respite to those students paying up to 117 per cent more than some of ...
More »The good news is the government plans to cancel $3 billion in student debt. The bad news is indexation will still be high
Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This year, if there is no policy change, student debt balances will be ...
More »$3bn in HECS to be wiped, paid placements announced
The federal government on Saturday announced it will change the way HECS-HELP and apprenticeship support loans are indexed, backdated to June 1, 2023. The changes, under Universities Accord recommendations, will wipe last year's record 7.1 per cent indexation, along with ...
More »Microcredential funding to quickly upskill students
Tertiary education institutions can now apply for government assistance to access 50 new micro-credential courses for their students from mid-2024 in a new $10m up-skilling scheme. Micro-credentials are stand alone or complementary qualifications that can be completed in a short ...
More »