Hi all,
Thanks to all of you, for helping wipe $3 billion off student debt for almost million Aussies, back in 2024. In Kooyong and in Canberra, I hear all the time about how our campaign has helped young Australians. I'm so proud of what we accomplished together.
But unfortunately, as important as our campaign was, one-off debt relief in 2024 doesn’t help students in 2026 and beyond. We still have a long way to go to fix this broken system.
The first change I’m campaigning for is to push "indexation day" back from 1 June to 1 November, after tax returns are processed, so compulsory payments made during the financial year are taken into account. This simple but significant change will save Australians with a HECS debt over $3 billion in indexation over the next 10 years.
This is just the beginning. We also need to reduce student contributions, support students in the care sectors to undertake mandatory practice placements, reverse the disastrous Job-Ready Graduates scheme, and cut the cost of degrees.
My goal is to fix HECS, so every young Australian can access the affordable education most politicians benefited from.
Two years ago, we forced the government to act on student debt. This time, we're going even bigger. To find out more about my campaign to Fix HECS, go to my website. Information about how we're going to fix this broken system is on the home page.
Dr Monique Ryan
Independent Member for Kooyong