HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING ACT 1988
[ CCH Note: Act No 150 of 2003 (as amended by No 157 of 2004), s 3 and Sch 1 items 6 to 9 and 24, contains the following transitional provisions:
``Part 2 - Transitional arrangement for students under the Post-graduate education loan scheme
FEE-HELP assistance for existing students under the Post-graduate education loan scheme
6
If:
(a) a person is enrolled with an institution in a unit of study that forms part of a course of study that the person started before 1 January 2005; and
(b) the period over which the person is undertaking the unit ends on or before 31 December 2008; and
(c) the person is an eligible student, within the meaning of section 98B of the Higher Education Funding Act 1988 , for the semester; and
(d) the course is an eligible post-graduate course of study within the meaning of section 98A of that Act; and
(e) the Commonwealth had, under section 98G of that Act, discharged a liability that the person had incurred in relation to the course; and
(f) the person:
(i) is entitled to FEE-HELP assistance for the unit; or
(ii) would be entitled to FEE-HELP assistance for the unit but for paragraph 104-1(1)(a) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 ; and
(g) the person has neither:
(i) discontinued his or her enrolment in the course since that commencement (see item 7); nor
(ii) completed the requirements of the course;then:
(h) if the institution is not (apart from this item) a higher education provider - the institution is taken, for the purposes of the application of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 in relation to the person and unit, to be a higher education provider; and
(i) if subparagraph (f)(ii) applies - the person is taken, for the purposes of that Act, to be entitled to FEE-HELP assistance for the unit; and
(j) the person is taken, for the purposes of that Act, to incur a HECS-HELP debt, and not a FEE-HELP debt, if the Commonwealth makes a loan to the person under section 104-1 of that Act in relation to the unit.Note:
The effects of the person incurring a HECS-HELP debt rather than a FEE-HELP debt are that the indexation of the debt is limited to changes in the Consumer Price Index (see section 140-5 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 ), and that voluntary repayments may attract a 10% bonus (see section 151-5 of that Act).
Discontinuance of enrolments
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A person is not taken, for the purposes of subparagraph (g)(i) of item 6, to have discontinued his or her enrolment in a course of study merely because:
(a) the person has taken leave of absence from, or has deferred, the course, with the approval of the institution with which the person is undertaking the course; or
(b) the person transfers his or her enrolment in the course to another course of study at the same level with the same or another institution or higher education provider; or
(c) circumstances have occurred that are specified in the guidelines under item 8 as not amounting to a discontinuance of enrolment. Guidelines
8(1)
The Minister may, in writing, make guidelines providing for matters:
(a) required or permitted by this Schedule to be provided; or
(b) necessary or convenient to be provided in order to carry out or give effect to this Schedule.
8(2)
Without limiting subitem (1), the guidelines may provide for:
(a) when a person is taken to have commenced a course of study; and
(b) when a person is taken to have completed the requirements of a course of study.Any such guidelines have effect, for the purposes of this Schedule, accordingly.
8(3)
The guidelines are disallowable instruments for the purposes of section 46A of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 .
Meaning of institution
9
In this Part:institution
Definitions
has the same meaning as in Chapter 4A of the old Act.
24
In this Schedule:new Act
means the Higher Education Support Bill 2003 .old Act
means the Higher Education Funding Act 1988 .'']
An institution must give a written notice under this subsection to each student who:
(a) is enrolled in an eligible post-graduate course of study at the institution on the census date for that course of study for a semester; and
(b) has made an application under section 98D on or before that date in relation to that course of study.
98F(2)
The notice must:
(a) set out particulars of so much of that course of study as is being undertaken by the student for that semester; and
(b) state whether the student is an eligible student for that semester; and
(c) set out the student's student load in respect of that course of study for that semester expressed as a proportion of the standard student load for that course of study in the year in which that semester occurs; and
(d) specify the full amount of the fees charged by the institution for so much of that course of study as is being undertaken by the student for that semester; and
(e) specify the amount of those fees that has been paid by the student on or before the census date for that course of study for that semester; and
(f) specify the amount of those fees outstanding in respect of the student immediately after the census date for that course of study for that semester.
98F(3)
A notice to a student under subsection (1) in relation to a semester must be given not later than a date specified by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette in relation to that semester for the purposes of this section.
98F(4)
If, after giving a notice to a student under subsection (1) or this subsection, the institution is satisfied that a material particular in the notice was not, or has ceased to be, correct, the institution must give a further written notice to the student setting out the correct particular.
98F(5)
A notice under this section is given for the purpose only of providing information to a student, and the liability of a student to pay fees charged by the institution is not affected:
(a) if the institution fails to give a notice or to give a notice by the specified date; or
(b) if there is an incorrect statement in the notice.
98F(6)
A notice under this section must set out the effect of subsections 55(1) and (2) , as applied in relation to the notice by subsection (7).
98F(7)
Section 55 applies in relation to a notice under this section as if:
(a) any references in that section to student were references to student within the meaning of Chapter 4A ; and
(aa) any references in that section to institution were references to institution within the meaning of Chapter 4A ; and
(aaa) any references in that section to appropriate officer were references to appropriate officer within the meaning of Chapter 4A ; and
(b) the references in subsections 55(1) and (4) to section 54 were references to section 98F ; and
(c) the reference in subsection 55(3) to the liability of the student to pay the contribution were a reference to the liability of the student to pay fees charged by the institution; and
(d) the reference in subsection 55(4) to subsection 54(3) were a reference to subsection 98F(4) .
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