Make student taxes fair!

Campaign for fair taxes for part-time research students

Part-time Higher Degree Research (HDR) students face an unfair tax burden – their research stipends are taxed, while full-time students’ stipends aren’t. This particularly affects students with disabilities, parents and carers, 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.

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].

We received a response to our open letter from the Education Minister’s office in November 2024. Download the response as a PDF [151KB].

SUPRA is committed to fighting for fair taxes for part-time research students.

Join our campaign to make student taxes fair! Find out how you can be involved.