3.14 Rural Tertiary Hardship Fund

Note: This payment is NO LONGER available and the following information is for HISTORICAL PURPOSES ONLY.

Introduction

This chapter describes the Rural Tertiary Hardship Fund (RTHF) which operated from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011.

Purpose

The purpose of the RTHF was to help reduce the barriers faced by rural and regional students who were under 25 years of age at the time they commenced tertiary study and would experience financial hardship in undertaking higher education without assistance.

Successful applicants for a RTHF payment received one $3,000 payment.

The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations made a determination by legislative instrument under SSAct section 1061ZZFW, called the Rural Tertiary Hardship Fund Scheme 2011 (the Scheme). The Scheme specified the following:

• the form and amount of assistance to be provided,
• the circumstances under which a payment could be made, or assistance to be provided, to particular individuals,
• which individuals qualified for payment or for assistance, and
• the application and review process.