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Fair taxes for part-time research students

Campaign for tax equity in Research Training Program (RTP) stipends

About the campaign

Part-time Higher Degree Research (HDR) students in Australia face an unfair financial burden: their Research Training Program (RTP) stipends are taxed, while full-time students receive these stipends tax-free. This particularly affects students with disabilities, parents and carers, those with chronic illness, and regional and rural students.

Following the Universities Accord Final Report recommendation to make part-time RTP scholarships tax-free, we are campaigning for immediate legislative change to address this inequity. The current system disproportionately affects already disadvantaged students and creates unnecessary barriers to research participation.

Key facts

  • Individual tax burden: up to $1,854 per year
  • Part-time HDR students: make up 26.14% of all PhD students
  • Part-time HDR students who are women: 58.02%
  • PhD students affected: approximately 6,985 part-time PhD students.

Download the information pack

Read our comprehensive information pack which details the impact of current taxation policies on part-time PhD students, including key statistics and demographic data.

Download the information pack as a Word document [19KB].

Campaign submissions

Open letter regarding part-time RTP taxation

In October 2024, we wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister, Treasurer, and Education Minister, calling for immediate reform.

Download the open letter as a PDF [87KB].

Ministerial response

This is the response to our open letter that we received from the Education Minister’s office in November 2024.

Download the response as a PDF [151KB].

Take action: make part-time stipends tax free!

Students

Your voice matters! The current taxation of part-time PhD stipends disproportionately affects students who are managing family commitments, health conditions, and other responsibilities. Your experience can help drive change.

What you can do

1. Contact your federal MP

Find your local MP using the Parliament of Australia website. Share your personal story about why you chose part-time study. Explain how the current taxation affects your research and life. Request their support to make part-time PhD stipends tax-free.

2. Share your story with us!

Join our campaign by sharing your experience as a part-time PhD student. Help us show how the current system impacts real researchers. Your story could feature in our advocacy to government decision-makers. Email SUPRA Disabilities Officer and CAPA Disabilities Officer Gemma Lucy Smart with your story: disabilities@capa.edu.au

3. Get involved in the campaign!

If you’d like to get involved in the campaign to fight for RTP tax fairness, email SUPRA Disabilities Officer and CAPA Disabilities Officer Gemma Lucy Smart: disabilities@capa.edu.au

Academic staff

Champion equal treatment! As leaders in research and education, your support can amplify the call for equitable treatment of part-time PhD candidates.

How to support change

1. Advocate within your institution

  • Raise this issue in faculty and research committee meetings.
  • Encourage your university to take a public stance.
  • Support data collection on part-time PhD student experiences.

2. Lend your expert voice

  • Write to the Minister for Education.
  • Share impact statements about how this affects your research team.
  • Support your PhD students in their advocacy efforts.

Organisations

Lead systemic change! Universities, research institutions, and peak bodies have the power to influence policy reform.

Strategic actions

1. Direct government engagement

  • Submit formal requests to the Treasury and Education departments.
  • Engage with parliamentary committees.
  • Provide evidence-based submissions on the impact of current policy.

2. Collaborative advocacy

  • Partner with other institutions to present a united front.
  • Share data on part-time PhD student demographics and outcomes.
  • Support research into the economic and social impacts of the current policy.

3. Policy leadership

  • Release public statements supporting tax-free part-time stipends.
  • Include this reform in your organisation’s policy priorities.
  • Document how the current system affects your research capacity.

Contact

For more information and enquiries contact SUPRA Disabilities Officer and CAPA Disabilities Officer Gemma Lucy Smart: disabilities@capa.edu.au

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