HELP Debts In Government’s Sights Again After $2.2 Billion Cuts To Higher Education Funding Last Year

Higher education funding has been in the Coalition Government’s cross hairs since 2014, and we have just seen a $2.8 billion dollar cut to university funding. Last year the senate rejected a proposal to lower the repayment threshold for HELP debts from $54 000 to $42 000 which was proposed by the Grattan Institute to deal with the predicted surge in unpaid student debt.

Yesterday, the government agreed to a third reading of a new Higher Education Support Legislation Amendment Bill 2018, which includes a fresh attempt at reducing the repayment threshold from $54 000 to $45 000. With the Federal Budget due to be handed down in a few months time, students and graduates could have reason to be concerned about this renewed debate.

Ben Eltham, National Affairs Correspondent for New Matilda, spoke to us about the current state of higher education funding and the changes we might expect to HELP debt repayments.