Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs

11 June 2013

Australia extends student loans to NZ residents

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has welcomed a move by Australia to extend its student loan scheme to long-term New Zealand residents.

Australia’s Tertiary Education Minister Craig Emerson today announced many New Zealanders will, from January 2015, be eligible to apply for the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) for tertiary education or vocational training.

“This is a positive step forward for both New Zealand and Australia. Making tertiary education more accessible will lead to increased employment prospects and a better educated workforce,” Mr McCully says.

New Zealand already extends student loans to Australians who have lived in New Zealand for three years.

Extending student loan access to New Zealanders resident in Australia was a recommendation of the Australia and New Zealand productivity commissions.

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