Volunteer Work to Contribute to University Students’ HECS Debts

The Australian, 19 August 2010

The Coalition has announced their plan to implement a pilot scheme that will provide university students with the opportunity to offset a portion of the HECS debt with volunteer work.

The pilot will allow up to 1000 eligible university students with an accumulated HECS debt to receive $10 credit toward their debt for every hour of community service volunteered with an Australian community organisation, such as ‘country fire services, state emergency services or life-saving organisations’.

Opposition leader, Mr Tony Abbott, believes that the scheme would encourage younger people to take up volunteer work. Mr Abbott also stated that during its trial phase, the scheme will be capped at 200 hours of volunteer work, which would provide eligible university students with $2000 to offset against their HECS debt.

‘As a pilot we are going to introduce a scheme whereby university students who give considerable time to these great volunteer organisations will get credit against their HECS debt. It's only a pilot program at this stage but volunteering is an important part of the Australian tradition,’ Mr Abbott said.

 

 

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