Legislation, Guidelines and Determinations

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Legislation

Guidelines

Determinations

Legislation

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.

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Guidelines

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 Scholarships
Chapter 3	Indigenous Staff Scholarships
FEE-HELP Guidelines
HECS-HELP Benefit 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