This initiative reduces outstanding Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt for eligible doctors and nurse practitioners who live and work in rural, remote or very remote areas of Australia. This is a joint initiative between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Aged Care.
On this page:
Independent Review of the HELP Debt Reduction Program
An independent review has commenced for the HELP debt reduction program for doctors and nurse practitioners living and working in rural, remote or very remote areas, as well as teachers working in very remote areas.
The HELP reduction program aims to attract and retain teachers, doctors and nurse practitioners in these areas to assist in addressing issues of equity and access to education and healthcare across Australia by offering two types of assistance for eligible applicants—a waiver of indexation on accumulated HELP debt, and/or a reduction of accumulated HELP debt.
The Higher Education Support Act 2003 requires independent reviews of the HELP reduction program to be conducted in both 2025 and 2028.
The 2025 review is being led by external reviewer, Ms Rachel Hunter AO PSM, and is due to report back to Government by mid-November 2025. It will consider the operation of the program and make recommendations to Government about future opportunities. The Terms of Reference for the review are also available.
- The review will consult with rural and remote stakeholders, including communities and their health, mental health and education service providers and, specifically, the National Rural Health Commissioner Professor Jenny May AM and the Regional Education Commissioner, the Hon Fiona Nash.
The reviewer’s report will be provided to the Minister and tabled in Parliament.
Eligibility Requirements
More information about eligibility can be found on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.
Application Form
The application form can be accessed online: Application form to reduce outstanding Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt for eligible doctors and nurse practitioners.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please email: HealthPractitionerHELP@education.gov.au