NZ citizens may be forced to pay full fees for university
Update
19 October 2017
The Nick Xenophon Team wants a comprehensive review of higher education before it would support the Government's plans to increase university fees from 1 January 2018.
A review effectively kills off any chance of the Higher Education Bill being passed by Parliament before the end of the year.
02 May 2017
The rights of Kiwis in Australia have been gradually whittled away over the past sixteen years. One by one, rights and services have been withdrawn.
Since Kiwis were stripped of access to disability services a few year ago, some have wondered what would be the next major service to be withdrawn.
Now we know.
The government plans to strip Kiwis of access to Commonwealth Supported Places*(CSP) at universities. NZ citizens and permanent visa holders will instead be forced to pay domestic full fees.
The only thing in the plan to soften the blow is the plan to extend HELP to New Zealand citizens and permanent visa holders, meaning the higher fees would not be paid upfront.
Whilst Australian and New Zealand citizens would both be able to use HECS, the amount they'd ultimately have to repay would differ substantially.
To demonstrate the size of this difference, here are some examples from the annual fees charged by the University of Melbourne:
- Arts: $6,349 (CSP), $24,448 (full fee)
- Commerce: $10,596 (CSP), $32,352 (full fee)
- Medicine: $10,596 (CSP), $59,968 (full fee)
- Science: $9,050 (CSP), $35,424 (full fee)
Needless to say, we will be fighting these ridiculous changes in every way that we can.
If the Government thinks it could push through these changes quietly, it is badly mistaken.
Important
New Zealand Special Category Visa holders who arrived as dependent minors and have resided in Australia for *en years are still eligible for a CSP and HELP. Currently enrolled students can continue as a CSP while in their current course of study. Read the Higher Education Reforms FAQs for more information.