Division last edited 27th Nov 2015 by mackay staff
The majority voted in favour of passing the bills (in parliamentary jargon, they gave the bills a third reading). Since the bills have already been passed in the House of Represenatives, they will now become law.
The bills require Australians living overseas and earning over the threshold (which was $54,126 in 2015–16) to repay their Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) debt or Trade Support Loan (TSL) debt under the same compulsory repayment scheme that applies in Australia.
The bills will also require Australians with HELP or TSL debts to notify the Commissioner of Taxation if they plan to be overseas for at least 183 days or if they have been overseas for at least 183 days over any 12 month period. The notification will have to occur either:
See StudyAssist for information about when these changes will come into effect.
Previously, Australians with HELP or TSL debts who moved overseas didn't have to make any repayments, regardless of how much they earned. Nor did they have to notify the Commissioner if they went overseas.
For more information, read the bills digest. Also see ABC News.
Disclaimer: Don't rely on this information to determine your new tax obligations - seek government information (a suggested starting point is below).
A good starting point is to visit the Government's StudyAssist website, which gives an overview of the changes and what they mean for you.
Nobody rebelled against their party.
| Party | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Greens (90% turnout) | 0 Yes – 9 No | |
| Richard Di Natale Victoria | No | |
| Sarah Hanson-Young SA | No | |
| Nick McKim Tasmania | No | |
| Lee Rhiannon NSW | No | |
| Janet Rice Victoria | No | |
| Rachel Siewert WA | No | |
| Robert Simms SA | No | |
| Larissa Waters Queensland | No | |
| Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania | No | |
| Scott Ludlam WA | Absent | |
| Australian Labor Party (67% turnout) | 16 Yes – 0 No | |
| Joe Bullock WA | Yes | |
| Doug Cameron NSW | Yes | |
| Kim Carr Victoria | Yes | |
| Sam Dastyari NSW | Yes | |
| Alex Gallacher SA | Yes | |
| Katy Gallagher ACT | Yes | |
| Chris Ketter Queensland | Yes | |
| Sue Lines WA | Yes | |
| Joe Ludwig Queensland | Yes | |
| Jenny McAllister NSW | Yes | |
| Claire Moore Queensland | Yes | |
| Deborah O'Neill NSW | Yes | |
| Nova Peris NT | Yes | |
| Helen Polley Tasmania | Yes | |
| Glenn Sterle WA | Yes | |
| Anne Urquhart Tasmania | Yes | |
| Catryna Bilyk Tasmania | Absent | |
| Carol Brown Tasmania | Absent | |
| Jacinta Collins Victoria | Absent | |
| Stephen Conroy Victoria | Absent | |
| Anne McEwen SA | Absent | |
| Jan McLucas Queensland | Absent | |
| Lisa Singh Tasmania | Absent | |
| Penny Wong SA | Absent | |
| Ricky Muir Victoria Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party | Yes | |
| Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party | Absent | |
| Gavin Marshall Victoria Deputy President | Absent | |
| Bob Day SA Family First Party | Absent | |
| Glenn Lazarus Queensland Independent | Yes | |
| John Madigan Victoria Independent | Yes | |
| Jacqui Lambie Tasmania Independent | Absent | |
| David Leyonhjelm NSW Liberal Democratic Party | Yes | |
| Liberal National Party (100% turnout) | 2 Yes – 0 No | |
| Matthew Canavan Queensland | Yes | |
| James McGrath Queensland | Yes | |
| Liberal Party (28% turnout) | 7 Yes – 0 No | |
| Simon Birmingham SA | Yes | |
| David Bushby Tasmania | Yes | |
| Sean Edwards SA | Yes | |
| Jo Lindgren Queensland | Yes | |
| Linda Reynolds WA | Yes | |
| Michael Ronaldson Victoria | Yes | |
| Anne Ruston SA | Yes | |
| Eric Abetz Tasmania | Absent | |
| Christopher Back WA | Absent | |
| Cory Bernardi SA | Absent | |
| George Brandis Queensland | Absent | |
| Michaelia Cash WA | Absent | |
| Richard Colbeck Tasmania | Absent | |
| Mathias Cormann WA | Absent | |
| David Fawcett SA | Absent | |
| Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW | Absent | |
| Mitch Fifield Victoria | Absent | |
| Bill Heffernan NSW | Absent | |
| David Johnston WA | Absent | |
| Ian Macdonald Queensland | Absent | |
| Marise Payne NSW | Absent | |
| Scott Ryan Victoria | Absent | |
| Zed Seselja ACT | Absent | |
| Arthur Sinodinos NSW | Absent | |
| Dean Smith WA | Absent | |
| National Party (25% turnout) | 1 Yes – 0 No | |
| Bridget McKenzie Victoria | Yes | |
| Fiona Nash NSW | Absent | |
| Barry O'Sullivan Queensland | Absent | |
| John Williams NSW | Absent | |
| Nick Xenophon SA Nick Xenophon Team | Absent | |
| Dio Wang WA Palmer United Party | Yes | |
| Stephen Parry Tasmania President | Absent | |
| Totals (53% turnout) | 31 Yes – 9 No |
Turnout is the percentage of members eligible to vote that did vote.