This bill is currently before Parliament.
Education & skills
The bill would change the Higher Education Support Act 2003Main federal law governing university funding, student contributions and HELP loans. so that subjects in the “Society and Culture” category are moved into a lower student contribution band.
Society and Culture subjects were still in the highest student contribution band, charging up to $15,142 per unit. The bill moves those subjects into the lower band, reducing the maximum charge to $4,124 per unit.
Under the Higher Education Support Act, Society and Culture subjects sat in the highest student contribution band, so some units could cost up to $15,142. The bill responded by shifting those subjects into a lower band, cutting the maximum charge to $4,124 per unit for students.
Le introduced this bill. Supportive speeches so far have come from some crossbench members.
Did it become law?
Not yet
Final passage
No final vote yet
The bill has not yet completed passage through Parliament.
Days since introduction
289 days
Updated 10 June 2026.
Meaning
The bill would change the Higher Education Support Act 2003Main federal law governing university funding, student contributions and HELP loans. so that subjects in the “Society and Culture” category are moved into a lower student contribution band.
According to the explanatory memorandum, this would reduce the maximum charge for those subjects from $15,142 to $4,124 per student for each unit.
The explanatory memorandum says the bill is aimed at reversing fee increases that followed the Job-ready Graduates policy, which it says did little to change what students choose to study.
If enacted, the changes would apply to units of study with a census date on or after 1 January 2025.
The explanatory memorandum says the bill would have no financial impact.
The Higher Education Support Amendment (Fair Study and Opportunity) Bill 2025 amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to move subjects listed under ‘Society and Culture’ in table item 1 of ‘Maximum student contribution amounts for a place’ to table item 2. This will reduce the maximum amount that students can be charged by tertiary education institutions from $15,142 to $4,124 per student, per unit.Explanatory memorandum
The Higher Education Support Amendment (Fair Study and Opportunity) Bill 2025 amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to move subjects listed under ‘Society and Culture’ in table item 1 of ‘Maximum student contribution amounts for a place’ to table item 2. This will reduce the maximum amount that students can be charged by tertiary education institutions from $15,142 to $4,124 per student, per unit.Explanatory memorandum
The Job-ready Graduates policy of the Morrisson Government has had the effect of significantly increasing the student contribution required to study a number of courses within Arts degrees. The stated intent of the policy was to apply a price incentive to encourage more students to choose STEM courses, however this measure has had minimal affect in shaping tertiary education choices. Students choose courses for a variety of reasons, including individual interests, preferences and abilities. Consequently, enrolments in these more expensive courses have continued, at a significant additional cost to the students who enrol in them.Explanatory memorandum
The amendments of section 93‑10 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 made by this Schedule apply in relation to units of study with a census date on or after 1 January 2025.Explanatory memorandum
The bill will have no financial impact.Explanatory memorandum
Context
Under the Higher Education Support Act, Society and Culture subjects sat in the highest student contribution band, so some units could cost up to $15,142. The bill responded by shifting those subjects into a lower band, cutting the maximum charge to $4,124 per unit for students.
Bill introduced
The bill was formally presented to the House of Representatives on 25 August 2025.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Bill named
The explanatory memorandum identified the measure as the Higher Education Support Amendment (Fair Study and Opportunity) Bill 2025.
Explanatory memorandum ↗Commencement set after royal assent
The bill was set to begin the day after it received royal assent.
Explanatory memorandum ↗First reading completed
The chamber then read the bill a first time, beginning its passage through Parliament.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Votes
No recorded votes have been found yet for this bill.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Dai Le supports the bill, arguing it would correct the unfair impacts of the Job-ready Graduates scheme, which she says has sharply increased fees for arts and humanities students and disproportionately harmed disadvantaged communities.
Read in Hansard ↗Andrew Gee clearly backs the bill, arguing it gives humanities, society, culture and arts students a fairer deal by reducing the debt burden created under the Job-ready Graduates Package.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
2 speakers · 2 support
“I commend this bill to the House and, with that, I gladly hand over my remaining time to the member for Calare.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Now, I certainly don't begrudge students studying STEM courses receiving lower course fees, and neither does the member for Fowler. I do, however, like the member for Fowler, question the effectiveness of the Job-ready Graduates Package. The evidence is that only a very small percentage of students changed their course selections as a result of the scheme being introduced, and it has also resulted in an inequitable and unfair student loans scheme. The Job-ready Graduates Package is a failure. It's a dud, and it needs to be overhauled. This bill is a step in the right direction towards greater fairness for uni students, and I'm very pleased to support it.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
