Labor’s First Move: Writing Off Student Debt. With Your Money. July 2025
So, Mr Albanese and Labor have been returned to Government with an increased majority. (Somehow they increased that majority with a primary vote of less than 35%. Go figure). The opposition coalition, primarily the Liberal party, were hopeless during the campaigning. But that's another article for another day. The first order of business for the returned Albanese government was to wipe 20% off some students’ HELP (Higher Education Loan Program) debts. Mr Albanese was very pleased with himself on social media and pitched the initiative as "fair" - some relief after years of high indexation and cost-of-living pressures. I saw the post on FaceBook, and I’ve thought about it for a while. I’ve thought about my own kids. And honestly? It's made me a bit cranky. I’m not angry at the students. They signed up to study, took on a debt, and now they've been told they won’t have to pay all of it back. I don’t blame them one bit for taking the win. Most of them are just doing ...