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Legislation, Guidelines and Determinations


Higher Education Support Act 2003

The Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) You are now leaving the DEST website   is the main piece of legislation governing higher education in Australia. HESA received Royal Assent in December 2003.

Higher Education Funding Act 1988

The Higher Education Funding Act 1988 (HEFA) was the main piece of legislation governing higher education in Australia until the introduction of HESA in 2003. Australian Government funding for higher education providers was administered under the HEFA until the end of 2004. Only transitional financial assistance to higher education providers is still administered under the HEFA.

Higher Education Support (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2003

The Higher Education Support (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2003 (TCA)  is a supporting piece of legislation, which covers transitional and consequential matters arising from the enactment of the HESA.

The HESA provides for subordinate legislation in the form of Guidelines to contain administrative matters or details relating to particular higher education funding programmes.

Current higher education Guidelines (showing contents of individual Chapters where appropriate):

Administration Guidelines
Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines
Chapter 2 Higher Education Providers
Chapter 3 National Priorities
Chapter 4 Regional Loading
Chapter 5 Medical Student Loading
Chapter 6 Enabling Loading
Chapter 7

National Governance Protocols

Chapter 8 Adjustments
Chapter 9 Determining the funding clusters
Chapter 10 Advances for certain purposes
Commonwealth Scholarship Guidelines
Chapter 2 Commonwealth Learning Scholarships
Chapter 3 Australian Postgraduate Awards
Chapter 4 Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarships
Chapter 5 Indigenous Staff Scholarships
FEE-HELP Guidelines    
Higher Education Provider Guidelines
Higher Education in External Territories Guidelines
OS-HELP Guidelines
Other Grants Guidelines
Chapter 1 Indigenous Support Programme
Higher Education Equity Support Programme
Higher Education Disability Support Programme
Chapter 2 Not used
Chapter 3 Learning and Teaching Performance Fund
Chapter 4 National Institutes Program
Chapter 5 Capital Development Pool Program
Chapter 6 Higher Education Superannuation Program
Chapter 7 Research Infrastructure Block Grants Scheme
Institutional Grants Scheme
Chapter 8

Research Training Scheme
Regional Protection Scheme
Commercialisation Training Scheme

Chapter 8A Improving the Practical Component of Teacher Education Grants
Chapter 9 Collaboration and Structural Reform Fund  – subsumed by the Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund (Chapter 9A)
Chapter 9A Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund
Chapter 10

Implementation Assistance Program
Australian Scheme for Higher Education Repositories

Chapter 11a

Bodies corporate eligible for grants related to quality

Chapter 11b Australian New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science Youth Conference Grant  Program
Chapter 11c

Learned Academies Program
Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies Program
Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Program
Open Universities Australia

Student Learning Entitlement Guidelines
Tax File Number Guidelines 
Transitional Arrangements for Students Guidelines