Australian higher education policy

Australian higher education policy

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University funding systems and what graduates see as important in a job
For a side-project I've recently engaged with the subject of whether higher education funding systems shape the educational and career choices of…
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Andrew Norton
Graduate income fluctuations and HELP repayment
Last week I raised concerns about the new HELP repayment system increasing the number of HELP debtors who face very long repayment times or lifetimes of…
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Andrew Norton
Will the new HELP repayment system make high EMTR problems better or worse?
The new HELP repayment system legislated this week will move from HELP debtors repaying a % of total income to a % of income above the repayment…
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Andrew Norton

July 2025

The new HELP repayment system and lifetimes of student debt
The prime minister says that a degree should not come with a lifetime of debt. For that goal, the government's HELP legislation introduced last week is…
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Andrew Norton
International students and the rental market
The housing section of the RBA's report last week on international students and the economy had higher education media dismissing the contribution of…
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Andrew Norton
The history and politics of the first student debt repayment threshold
The government's HELP legislation, cutting student debts by 20% and introducing a new repayment system, was introduced into Parliament yesterday.
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Andrew Norton
Despite an increase in applications for the 2024 academic year, school leaver interest in higher education remained below mid-2010s levels
University applications statistics for 2022 to 2024 were finally released late last week, giving us another data source on demand for higher education.
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Andrew Norton

June 2025

May 2025

What is behind increased rates of upfront payment of fees and student contributions?
It's been a while - seven years - since I took a look at higher education student decisions to take out a HELP loan or pay upfront.
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Andrew Norton
What’s in the 2025 funding agreements? – ‘Higher education courses’ block grants
In February I reported on preliminary university-level 2025 allocations under the Commonwealth Grant Scheme and estimates of student contributions…
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Andrew Norton
What do Australian governments owe international students?
Gaby Ramia, a University of Sydney academic, has long written about international student issues, including their security and well-being.
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Andrew Norton
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