New Student Support Measures Introduced In Australian Higher Education Sector

Study in Australia: The Universities Accord Bill 2024 received Royal Assent. The new bill will launch new measures in the Australian Higher Education Sector.

Australia is all set to introduce new measures in the higher education sector. The Universities Accord Bill 2024 has received Royal Assent in Parliament. The new measures will support nursing, teaching, and midwifery.

The new bill will also support the underrepresented students by offering them FEE-FREE Uni Ready courses. These courses will help these students get ready to study at Australia's universities.

Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP said that the Universities Accord Bill 2024 will help in achieving a better and fairer education system.

“The Universities Accord recommended indexing HELP loans to whatever is lower out of CPI or WPI. We have done this and gone further. We have backdated this reform to last year. This wipes out what happened last year and makes sure it never happens again. Now that legislation has passed, the ATO will automatically apply these credits as soon as possible. Passing this legislation wipes around $3 billion in student debt for more than 3 million Australians nationwide – easing pressure on people right across the country.”

Australia Universities Accord Bill 2024: More Details

"The government is supporting eligible students studying nursing, midwifery, teaching through Commonwealth Prac Payments of $319.50 per week, (aligned to the single Austudy rate), while they do their mandatory practicum placement as part of their degree. This measure will help to address staff shortages in these key sectors. For more information visit: Commonwealth Prac Payment page," reads the government statement.

Commonwealth Prac Payment is to be launched on July 1, 2025, and the Fee-Free Uni Ready courses and changes to Amenities fee and Student Support will start on January 1, 2025.

Recently, the Australian government announced other student loan schemes and a future for HELP to make education even fairer for students.

"From 1 July 2025, students and workers with an outstanding student loan debt will only be required to make compulsory repayments once they start earning an annual salary of $67,000. This is an increase from the current repayment threshold of $54,435 in 2024-25. The government also announced that anyone with a student loan debt, including a HELP debt will have their debt reduced by 20% before indexation is applied on 1 June 2025. This means that someone with an average HELP debt of $27,600 will have their loan reduced by $5,520," added the government statement.

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