A bill is a proposal for a law or a change to an existing law. A bill becomes law (an Act) when agreed to in identical form by both houses of Parliament and assented to by the Governor-General.
Bills introduced to Parliament are scrutinised to make sure they meet certain standards and to consider whether they should be referred to a committee for further investigation. This can include feedback from stakeholders and the general public, and a report recommending potential improvements to the bill.
TOTAL RESULTS: 351
-
- Date
-
11 Jun 2020
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Education, Skills and Employment
- Summary
-
Amends the:
Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: require students commencing from 1 January 2021, and all students from 1 January 2023, to have a unique student identifier (USI) in order to be eligible for Commonwealth assistance; provide that a student's HELP balance is taken to be reduced immediately after the census date for HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP assistance, and immediately after the census day for vocational education and training (VET) student loans; provide undergraduate students seeking FEE HELP loans with an exemption from the requirement to pay the 25 per cent loan fee for units of study with census dates from 1 April to 30 September 2020; and make minor and technical amendments; and VET Student Loans Act 2016
to require that all applications for VET student loans made on or after 1 January 2021 must include the student's USI. Also validates certain HELP loans and VET student loans by enabling the secretary to determine certain students who, due to having more than one Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number, have exceeded the HELP loan limit, and allow these students to repay the resulting excess debt amounts through the taxation system.
-
- Date
-
03 Feb 2021
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Education, Skills and Employment
- Summary
-
Amends the:
Australian Research Council Act 2001
to: apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts for the financial years commencing on 1 July 2020, 1 July 2021 and 1 July 2022; and insert a new funding cap for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2023; and Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: re-categorise the University of Notre Dame Australia as a Table A provider from 2021; and correct a typographical error.
-
- Date
-
18 Mar 2021
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Education, Skills and Employment
- Summary
-
Amends the
Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: enable former permanent humanitarian visa holders who transition to a resident return visa to retain their eligibility for Higher Education Loan Program assistance; and make minor and technical amendments; and Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
to: clarify and extend the application of the Act to former registered providers; and make minor and technical amendments.
-
- Date
-
27 Oct 2022
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Education
- Summary
-
Amends the:
Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: amend the student identifier requirements for a person's eligibility to receive Commonwealth assistance; provide that units of study undertaken as part of an enabling course will not count towards a student's student learning entitlement; provide that domestic students undertaking a microcredential course are eligible for FEE-HELP; extend the FEE-HELP loan fee exemption to 31 December 2022; provide that New Zealand citizens are eligible for HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP only if they are a resident in Australia for the duration of the unit; remove the 10 per cent discount on up-front payments made by HECS-HELP students; and Higher Education Support Act 2003
and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011
to make technical amendments.
-
- Date
-
17 Feb 2022
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Not Proceeding
-
Portfolio
-
Education, Skills and Employment
- Summary
-
Amends the:
Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: amend the student identifier requirements for a person's eligibility to receive Commonwealth assistance; provide for new Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt arrangements for rural, remote or very remote health practitioners; provide that units of study undertaken as part of an enabling course will not count towards a student's student learning entitlement; extend the FEE-HELP loan fee exemption to 31 December 2022; provide that domestic students undertaking a microcredential course are eligible for FEE-HELP; and provide that New Zealand citizens are eligible for HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP only if they are a resident in Australia for the duration of the unit; and Higher Education Support Act 2003
and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011
to make technical amendments.
-
- Date
-
09 Oct 2025
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Education
- Summary
-
Amends the:
Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
to implement measures relating to Australia’s international education sector, including in relation to education agents and commissions, the giving of education agent information to registered providers, the management of provider applications, registration requirements, the automatic cancellation of registration and specified courses in certain circumstances, the investigation of offences when considering the fit and proper provider test, and internal reviews of reviewable decisions; Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011
to ensure that registered providers that are delivering courses outside Australia are authorised by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency
; Higher Education Support Act 2003
to introduce demand driven Commonwealth supported places for courses of study in medicine for eligible First Nations students; and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999
to: expand information gathering powers to support the Early Education Service Delivery Prices Project; expand authorisations for the handling of protected information; make technical amendments; and align the date of effect for decisions relating to the child care subsidy (CCS) reconciliation process with the date of effect in the CCS system.
-
- Date
-
17 Sep 2015
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Education
- Summary
-
Introduced with the Student Loans (Overseas Debtors Repayment Levy) Bill 2015 to create an overseas payment obligation for Australians living overseas with a Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) or Trade Support Loan (TSL) debt, the bill amends the:
Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: enable the recovery of HELP debts from debtors residing overseas; provide that certain HELP debtors are required to register with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO); prescribe administrative arrangements relating to the debt recovery; and require students to notify their tax file number when applying for a HELP loan; Trade Support Loans Act 2014
to enable the recovery of TSL debts from debtors who are residing overseas and provide that certain TSL debtors are required to register with the ATO; Taxation Administration Act 1953
to enable taxation officers to disclose protected information to foreign jurisdictions to identify those with student loan repayment obligations; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1936
and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997
to make consequential amendments.
-
- Date
-
01 Jun 2017
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Education and Training
- Summary
-
Amends the
Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
to: enable the minister to specify additional matters which may be taken into consideration for the fit and proper person requirements for registration purposes; expand the scope of events that a provider must report to education services for overseas students agencies; extend information sharing provisions; and enable a 30-day payment period for late payment penalties; Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011
to: enable the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) to take additional matters into account in its regulatory decision-making; introduce a requirement that providers must be fit and proper persons; expand the scope of matters about which providers must notify TEQSA; enable TEQSA to delegate its functions or powers to the Chief Executive Officer; require the accreditation of certain diplomas and certificates; and increase financial viability and transparency requirements; and Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: prohibit unscrupulous marketing practices and barriers to withdrawal from study; define a ‘genuine student’ for the purposes of reporting and claiming FEE-HELP liabilities; enable the minister to vary conditions of approval for providers and determinations relating to advance payments in certain circumstances; provide for civil penalties in cases of non-compliance; subject the Act to monitoring under the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014
; provide for more stringent provider application requirements; and increase financial viability and transparency requirements.
-
- Date
-
09 Mar 2023
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
- Summary
-
Amends the:
Higher Education Support Act 2003
to create a new form of Higher Education Loan Program assistance, SY-HELP, which will be available to final year undergraduate students, current post-graduate students and recent graduates in accelerator program courses at Australian universities and university colleges; list Avondale University as a Table B provider; Social Security Act 1991
, Social Security (Administration) Act 1999
and Student Assistance Act 1973
to provide that students entitled to SY-HELP assistance may qualify for certain social security payments, including youth allowance and austudy payment, while undertaking an accelerator program course; and Australian Research Council Act 2001
to: apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts for the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years; and insert a new funding cap for the 2025-26 financial year.
-
- Date
-
18 Sep 2019
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
-
Act
-
Portfolio
-
Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business
- Summary
-
Part of a package of three bills to implement a tuition protection model for students participating in the VET Student Loans program and for higher education students accessing FEE-HELP or HECS-HELP assistance at a private education provider or TAFE, the bill amends the:
VET Student Loans Act 2016
and Higher Education Support Act 2003
to: provide for the administration of each sector by a Tuition Protection Director with specific functions; provide for each sector to be supported by a separate Tuition Protection Fund Advisory Board; require non-exempt providers to contribute annual levies, commensurate with their size and risk; establish two special accounts (the VET Student Loans Tuition Protection Fund and the HELP Tuition Protection Fund); provide assistance to students who may complete their studies with another provider or may have their loan balance re-credited for units of study commenced but not completed due to the provider’s default; and impose certain obligations on default providers and replacement providers; VET Student Loans Act 2016
to enable the secretary to refuse to revoke an approval on request if certain compliance action is being taken; and Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
to make consequential amendments.
Browse bills
- Browse all bills by title
-
-
-
-
-
-
Bills lists
All bills before Parliament for the current calendar year and details of their progress.
Parliamentary Library analysis of bills, including the purpose, background and key issues.
Parliament delegates the power to legislate so details of law can be changed quickly by others. These delegated laws are referred to as legislative instruments and can be overruled – disallowed – by Parliament.
Legislative instruments subject to a notice of motion to disallow. The progress and eventual outcome of any such notice is also recorded.
The introduction of a tariff proposal is the formal procedure for initiating the collection of customs and excise duties.
Bills referred to committees
To inquire and report views on the bill from organisations and individuals.
Statistics on legislation
Printed bills and explanatory memoranda
Order printed versions at the Federal Register of Legislation by clicking the print icon at the document level.