Government's Budget Sparks Angry Scenes as Students March on Parliament

Students protest outside Parliament after tertiary fees increased

University students are protesting outside Parliament after Thurdsay’s Budget not only confirmed the end of fees free - but committed to increase tertiary fees from 2027.

Fair trade? Fees-free scrapped to make way for trade school opportunities

To follow the latest Budget coverage, click here for our live blog. The Government has officially scrapped the fees-free tertiary scheme, redirecting part of...

Students protest scrapping of fees free, accuse government of using them to balance the books

Budget 2026 has locked in the removal of the policy that gave students their final year of tertiary education at no cost.

Scrapping fees-free study saves Govt over $1b in Budget

The scrapping of final-year fees-free has seen the Government Budget freed up of over $1 billion – or $300 million a year. Finance Minister Nicola Willis highlighted the saving as one of the main sources of savings and revenue in the Budget. Instead, a portion of the funding will fund vocational training opportunities for secondary school students – as previously indicated – doubling the number of Trades Academy places to 20,000 for year 11 to 1…

Students march to Octagon in protest of scrapping fees free

Students protesting the government’s decision to scrap fees free have told supporters that nothing short of a ‘‘legitimate mass movement’’ was...