On 1 June last year, indexation was applied on my then HELP debt of $87,722 at 7.10 per cent. This resulted in a $6,228 debit being applied to my HELP account. This year, student debts are due to rise by 4.8 per cent, the second highest indexation rate in a decade. HELP indeed!
I am a 41-year-old professional woman. I have been in and out of the workforce for the last 18 years, as I raise my children, and engage in part-time work. As such, it was only 3 years ago that I finally began earning enough to start making repayments to my HECS-HELP debt through my income.
At age 17, I began my higher education with a bachelor’s degree. At age 20, I went on to do a law degree and then, at age 29, I completed a Master of Laws. Even…
