The Australian Government introduced the so-called 'AUSTUDY Supplement' in the 1992-93 budget. The scheme gives AUSTUDY recipients the option of trading in up to $2000 per year of their grant for $4000 of an income-contingent loan, to be paid back according to the current HECS arrangements,...

"The public vocational education and training (VET) system is one of the few areas in Australia's tertiary education system where students are required to pay upfront fees without access to loan assistance. These arrangements may lead to sub-optimal educational outcomes to the extent that...