Reduction of Higher Education Loan Program debts

This content was published on Friday 20 January 2023. There may be more recent updates available.

Applications are now open for a reduction of your HELP debt.

If you’re a teacher, including early childhood teachers, working in a very remote area, you may be eligible for a reduction in your Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt.

The initiative is designed to attract and retain a high-quality teacher workforce, provide critical educational continuity, and support for students in very remote areas.

To be eligible, teachers must have completed four years of teaching full-time since 2019, or the pro-rated part-time equivalent in a six-year period, at a primary or secondary school, preschool, or centre-based day care service in a very remote area of Australia, based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Remoteness Structure.

This initiative is one component of the Australian Government’s wider policy of Closing the Gap and improving educational outcomes for students in remote and very remote Australia.

If you are teaching, or considering teaching, in a very remote location of Australia, you can find more information and how to apply at Reduction of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debts for teachers in very remote areas.

You can also learn more in Minister Clare’s media release.