Education, Science and Training
A Safer Australia - enhanced security for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation | 5.5 | 5.6 | - | - |
The Government will provide $11.1 million over the next two years to enhance the security of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's main entrance.
Additional security devices will also be installed across the facility, including the site of the current research reactor. This initiative will significantly enhance security as a response to the current heightened security environment.
See also the related expense measure titled A Safer Australia - enhanced security for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation in A Safer Australia package in the Attorney-General's portfolio.
Our Universities - Higher Education Loans Programme (HELP) - HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and OS-HELP
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Department of Education, Science and Training | - | - | - | - |
From 2005, the Government will introduce two new income-contingent loan schemes to complement the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS-HELP) - FEE-HELP for full fee-paying students and OS-HELP for Australians studying abroad as part of their course.
FEE-HELP will be an income-contingent loan facility provided for students to meet their undergraduate or postgraduate fees in full fee-paying courses in public or eligible private institutions. It will absorb the current Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme (PELS), Open Learning Deferred Payment Scheme (OLDPS) and Bridging for Overseas-Trained Professionals Loan Scheme (BOTPLS). A loan will be provided up to the amount of the full tuition fee for the course being undertaken, with students able to borrow up to $50,000 in total through FEE-HELP.
OS-HELP will be an income-contingent loan facility to assist students undertaking a full-time undergraduate course in Commonwealth-supported places at public higher education institutions to study abroad for one or two semesters. It will provide a total of 2,500 loans in 2005 of up to $10,000 each, increasing to a total of 10,000 loans each year by 2008.
It is expected that the cash value of loans to students under HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and OS-HELP will amount to an additional $800 million over the period to 2007-08. Under accepted accounting practice, the amount loaned to students is treated as a financial asset and therefore does not impact on the fiscal balance.
See also the related revenue and expense measures titled Our Universities - Higher Education Loans Programme (HELP) - HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and OS-HELP, and the expense measure titled Our Universities - Higher Education Contribution Scheme - increased flexibility in the Education, Science and Training portfolio.
Our Universities - marine science institute
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Australian Institute of Marine Science | 2.1 | - | - | - |
A single world-class marine science institute will be established in Townsville by formally affiliating two key research and education institutions, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University. This will enable an expansion of the current programme of tropical marine research and research training.
To support this affiliation, $5 million will be transferred in 2003-04 from the Cooperative Research Centres Programme in the Education, Science and Training portfolio to the Australian Institute of Marine Science. This funding will come from uncommitted programme funds and will not affect existing or future research grants under the Cooperative Research Centres Programme.
Of this funding, $2.9 million will be used to facilitate the affiliation and $2.1 million will be used to finalise the capital refurbishment of the Australian Institute of Marine Science's research facilities.
See also the related expense measure titled Our Universities - marine science institute in the Our Universities package within the Education, Science and Training portfolio.
Radioactive waste management facility
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Department of Education, Science and Training | 0.5 | - | - | - |
The Government will provide an equity injection of $0.5 million in 2003-04 to the Education, Science and Training portfolio to build a national radioactive waste management repository.
This purpose-built waste management facility will hold waste generated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Defence portfolio.
The facility will also hold waste generated by non-Commonwealth agencies.
See the related expense measures titled Radioactive waste management facility and Education, Science and Training portfolio - reprioritisation, and the related revenue measure titled Radioactive waste management facility - collection and disposal charges in the Education, Science and Training portfolio.