Bill
Higher Education Support (Charges) Bill 2019
passed, as at 2019-10-28. Education portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Education
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2019-07-04
- second reading — 2019-07-04
- second reading — 2019-09-11
- second reading — 2019-09-11
- third reading — 2019-09-11
- introduced — 2019-09-11
- second reading — 2019-09-11
- second reading — 2019-10-14
- second reading — 2019-10-15
- second reading — 2019-10-15
- third reading — 2019-10-15
- passed — 2019-10-15
- royal assent — 2019-10-28
Divisions
- Higher Education Support (Charges) Bill 2019 and another - Second Reading - University funding — 2019-09-11, House of Representatives: negative, ayes 60, noes 78
- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2019-10-15.5.2) to agree with the bills' main idea. In parliamentary jargon, they voted to read the bills for a [second time](https://www.peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/making-a-law-in-the-australian-parliament/). The Senate can now discuss them in greater detail. ### What is the bills' main idea? According to the [bills digest](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1920a/20bd003): > *Together, the [Charges Bill](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/r6339) and the [Cost Recovery Bill](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/r6338) propose to give effect to a 2018–19 Budget measure to introduce partial cost recovery arrangements for higher education providers whose students access the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP).* > > *These arrangements comprise two new charges:* > > * *an annual higher education provider charge to partially recover the cost of administering HECS‑HELP and FEE-HELP and* > * *an application fee to be paid by registered higher education providers seeking to become FEE‑HELP providers, to recover the cost of administering the FEE-HELP application process.* — 2019-10-15, Senate: affirmative, ayes 36, noes 8
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2019-07-04.
This bill would charge universities and colleges each year to help pay for the student loan system.
The charge would be a tax set by regulation, not by the bill itself.
The money would cover the government's costs of running the loan program, including data work and compliance checks.
- Imposes an annual tax on higher education providers.
- Funds the Higher Education Loans Program and its administration.
- Allows the charge amount to be set by regulation.
Higher education providers whose students can access HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP loans.
Sources
em
billhome
frl act