Dear supporters,
We are close to having 35,000 people join the cause to have HECS/HELP indexation frozen. Now is the time to ensure that this happens!
Our politicians need to know what a vital issue this is. I have written to many politicians, but I often get a bounce back email stating that the MP or Senator prioritises concerns from people who live in their constituency. So, I am asking you to write to, email, call or drop in to your local member to bring this to their urgent attention. While this is a federal issue, feel free to bring it to the attention of your state member as well.
As helpful as it is to outline the reasons for freezing indexation (as I have done in the previous update), I think that personal stories are much more powerful. I have talked a nurse who is so burdened by debt that she won’t do further study to improve her skills. I know of a young person who got a cancer diagnosis soon after graduating. Over the years of treatment, she saw her student debt balloon out of control. I have heard from women who are delaying having children so that they can pay off their debt- they are worried as they wonder if they might have waited too long. I know of someone who has a chronic illness which prevented them from finishing their degree. Now they have a $50,000 debt and can’t work full time- they are dreading the debt spiraling out of control over their lifetime, with no hope of repaying it. I have met a person who had their inheritance swiped to pay off their HECS debt, when they were hoping to use it as a much needed home deposit. These are the stories that might help the politicians push for an indexation freeze. After all, our Members of Parliament represent us- they went into this job to make a difference in the lives of their constituents- now is their chance!
Thanks again for your vital role in freezing indexation of student HELP debts- together we can still make this happen in 2024.
Yours optimistically,
Gemma