Bills Digest No. 28 2003-04
Student Assistance
Amendment Bill 2003
WARNING:
This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as
introduced and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest
does not have any official legal status. Other sources should be
consulted to determine the subsequent official status of the
Bill.
CONTENTS
Passage History
Purpose
Background
Main Provisions
Contact Officer & Copyright Details
Passage History
Student Assistance Amendment
Bill 2003
Date Introduced:
26 June 2003
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Family
and Community Services
Commencement:
On Royal
Assent
To close the Student Financial Supplement
Scheme in respect of ABSTUDY students from 1 January 2004.
To amend provisions relating to regulation
making powers.
Background
The Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS)
was introduced in 1993 so that Austudy and Abstudy students could
gain access to more financial support than those payments offered,
in the form of a loan.
A more detailed treatment of the loan scheme
and the view of it taken by the political parties and other
interest groups is provided in the digest for the Family and
Community Services (Closure of Student Financial Supplement Scheme)
Bill 2003. That Bill closes the scheme for Youth Allowance, Austudy
payment and Pensioner Education Supplement recipients.
Item 3 of Schedule 1 inserts
new Division 1A into Part 4A of the Student
Assistance Act 1973. Proposed section 12AA of
the new Division closes the SFSS to applicants from 1 January 2004.
Items 1-2 and 4-5 make amendments
consequential to this closure.
Item 1 of Schedule
2 inserts proposed subsection 48(2) into
the Student Assistance Act 1973. It has the effect of
broadening the regulation making power under the Act.
Dale Daniels
10 September 2003
Bills Digest Service
Information and Research Services
This paper has been prepared for general distribution to
Senators and Members of the Australian Parliament. While great care
is taken to ensure that the paper is accurate and balanced, the
paper is written using information publicly available at the time
of production. The views expressed are those of the author and
should not be attributed to the Information and Research Services
(IRS). Advice on legislation or legal policy issues contained in
this paper is provided for use in parliamentary debate and for
related parliamentary purposes. This paper is not professional
legal opinion. Readers are reminded that the paper is not an
official parliamentary or Australian government document.
IRS staff are available to discuss the paper's
contents with Senators and Members and their staff but not with
members of the public.
ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 2003
Except to the extent of the uses permitted under the
Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior
written consent of the Parliamentary Library, other than by Members
of the Australian Parliament in the course of their official
duties.
Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library,
2003.
Back to top