(Cth) Expand the HELP Debt Reduction Initiative to Regional Lawyers

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Author: Akash Merai, Jemima Tabacco, Henry Turner, Anthea Sheriff, Danielle Queit & Erin Shutter | Publish date: 4/8/2026

• P: In Australia, lawyers do not have access to a location-preferred Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debtor relief scheme for regional, rural and remote (RRR) areas. 

• S: The Minister for Education should amend Part 4-1 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) to create a new section to establish ‘special measures for location-preferred HELP debtors’ for RRR lawyers.

• E: Law Council of Australia (2023): ‘Recommends that a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt reduction and indexation relief initiative be introduced for qualified individuals who work in an eligible RRR area’.

  
  

Problem Identification: 

Part 4-1 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) establishes that health practitioners and teachers are eligible for HELP debt reduction when working in rural, regional and remote (RRR) areas. However, lawyers are not eligible. 

According to a Law Council of Australia (LCA) Report (2023), the absence of ‘financial incentive to relocate to an eligible RRR area’ means that there are ‘insufficient numbers of legal practitioners in RRR areas where legal needs are greatest’. As a result, they further stated that for prospective RRR lawyers, ‘the anticipated financial and logistical barriers of relocating can deter an otherwise willing individual from pursuing this option.’ Additionally, LCA reported that this contributed to ‘unmet legal needs’ in RRR areas.

Context: 

HELP debt refers to the accumulated cost of a ‘loan from the Government … use[d] to pay [a] Student contribution amount’, for eligible students. According to the Department of Education, location-preferred HELP debt relief offers either a ‘waiver of indexation’ or a ‘reduction of an accumulated HELP debt’ for individuals working in RRR areas. Variations of these relief models have previously been utilised to incentivise RRR work, such as the ‘Very Remote Teachers Initiative … [and] HELP for Rural Doctors and Nurse Practitioners scheme’. A 2025 Independent Review of these HELP debt reduction programs highlighted that they ‘can be effective for attraction, particularly of early career professionals’. 

LCA noted that, in 2019, law students were ‘estimated to take an average of 9.3 years to repay’ their HELP debt. Sean Radburn, former President of the Far North Coast Regional Law Society, stated that this ‘debt can be crushing for a young lawyer, putting a brake on ambitions to put a deposit on a home and to build financial security for the future.’ 

The Law Society of NSW (2024) found that 9% of lawyers practice in RRR areas. However, LCA noted that these lawyers serve ‘one-third of the Australian population’.

Arguments:

LCA noted that in RRR areas, ‘scarcities of locally available lawyers impact access to justice’. Charlotte Egan, Principal Solicitor of Booth Brown Legal in Dubbo, stated that ‘the biggest issue [they] face as a small, regional firm, is capping the workflow due to the inability to attract and retain staff’. Michelle Meares, barrister and former President of NSW Regional Women Lawyers, stated that the ‘majority of employers in [RRR] areas are usually local firms [that are] limited in what they can offer employees’. For example, as the Southern Cross University Dean of Law David Heilpern highlighted, this shortfall means in RRR areas many people are ‘forced to represent themselves in court’, which ‘on average … take[s] the court more than twice as long to deal with a matter in such cases.’

The Australian Pro Bono Centre highlighted that digital legal services are ‘often viewed as a way to address unmet legal need that is exacerbated by lack of [physical access]’. However, LCA stated that ‘technological barriers continue to exist in RRR areas’ such as ‘a lack of digital literacy, and an inability to afford the necessary devices’, reinforcing the need for ‘face-to-face legal assistance wherever possible.’ The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found that ‘signal strength and stability is not guaranteed’ as individuals ‘dial-in to court from various locations and settings’. In comparison, legal researcher Dr Marie Burton asserted that face-to-face interviews allow for ‘stronger emotional connection between lawyer and client, non-verbal communication, more expansive conversation and the greater ability to consult and confer over documents.’

Advice/Solution Identification:

LCA, Law Society of NSW and Dr Warren Mundy called for the expansion of HELP debt relief for lawyers in RRR communities. LCA stated that ‘the opportunity for a qualified legal practitioner to fully, or even partially, reduce their HELP debt is likely to provide a strong financial incentive to relocate to an eligible RRR area.’ They further underscored that this could ‘facilitate improved access to justice for members of these communities.’ 

Precedent:

There is a domestic precedent for providing HELP debt relief in RRR areas. In Australia, teachers and health practitioners are eligible for HELP debt relief when working in designated RRR locations. 

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Public Support: 

This list reflects publicly stated positions and should not necessarily be taken as endorsement of this specific brief.

1. Law Council of Australia (LCA)   

2. Dr Warren Mundy - Appointed to review the National Legal Assistance Partnership 2020-2025.

3. Law Society of NSW   

4. Charlotte Egan - Principal Solicitor of Booth Brown Legal in Dubbo NSW 

Broad Support: 

1. Law and Justice Foundation of NSW - They have broadly stated that HELP debt relief could attract early-career lawyers regionally. However, the report makes no explicit recommendation to expand HELP debt reduction to RRR-based lawyers. 

2. Jason Goode, Director of Farrell Goode Solicitors - They have suggested that HELP debt relief could attract early-career lawyers regionally. However, the report has not explicitly recommended expanding HELP debt reduction to lawyers in RRR areas. 

3. Prof Michael Adam, Former Academic Dean of the University of New England Law School - Suggested that a HELP debt reduction and indexation relief initiative could be a positive incentive for recent law graduates to relocate to RRR areas. However, he does not explicitly call for the initiative to be introduced.

News Coverage:

• Lawyers Weekly - “Funding falls short: Legal aid faces skill shortages”. This article reported that National Legal Aid’s warning of stagnating and low fees in regional and remote areas has led to ‘unsustainably low levels’ of legal aid for private lawyers in RRR locations. By: Carlos Tse | 17 November 2025 - Read the article here. 

• Lawyers Weekly - “The current issues law students must overcome: Part 1”. This article discussed law students’ challenges within the HECS system in light of the current cost-of-living crisis. By: Grace Robbie | 19 August 2024 - Read the article here. 

• ABC - “Law associations call for student debt relief as regional, rural lawyer shortage worsens”. This article recounted the experiences of a law firm owner to highlight the shortage of legal professionals in regional and rural areas. It outlined the harms caused by a backlogged legal system, which has left many people to represent themselves. By: Elloise Farrow-Smith | 18 June 2024 - Read the article here. 

• University of New England - “Lawyers wanted: access to justice dries up in bush’’. This article provided data regarding the legal professional ‘workforce shortfall’ that regional Australian towns face. By: University of New England | 11 January 2024 - Read the article here. 

• Law Institute Victoria - “HELP debt relief proposal to woo lawyers to regions”. This article discussed attracting lawyers to RRR locations by offering HELP debt reduction for law graduates to improve access to justice. By: Karin Derkley | 20 December 2023 - Read the article here.

• Law Council of Australia - “Financial incentives to bring lawyers to the bush”. This media release discussed financial incentives such as HELP relief to incentivise lawyers to work in RRR areas. By: Kristen Connell | 13 December 2023 - Read the release here.

Where to go to learn more: 

1. (2023) HELP debt reduction and indexation relief for legal practitioners working in rural, regional and remote locations | Law Council of Australia - This position paper discussed the effectiveness of HELP debt reduction and indexation relief used for health practitioners and teachers. They provided the recommendation that the expansion of this program to legal practitioners could strengthen access to legal services in RRR areas. Read the full paper here. 

2. (2024) Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership | Dr Warren Mundy - This review provided a range of data and outlined areas of shortfall for the National Legal Assistance Partnership, and provided many recommendations, including ‘HECS-HELP forgiveness scheme for [RRR] community sector lawyers’. Read the full review here. 

3. (2025) Independent Review of the HELP Debt Reduction Program - Final Report | Rachel Hunter AO PSM - This independent review examined the progress and implementation of the already established HELP Debt Reduction Programs employed for teachers, doctors and nurse practitioners. Read the full review here. 

4. Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) - Read the full Act here. 

Human Perspective: 

Lindy was a private law firm owner in regional VIC who primarily handled criminal and traffic cases, personal injury claims, and wills and estates. Her firm was the only one in the town. The next closest firm was an hour away, so she received a large number of locals in need of representation. Lindy frequently provided legal services at subsidised rates, as she was based in a lower-socioeconomic community. As the cost of living intensified, Lindy’s firm had dropped from having 7 solicitors to only 3, as the attractiveness of corporate legal rates and opportunities in Melbourne and other major cities drew applicants away from starting their careers in regional towns. The burdensome impact of the cost-of-living crisis, in conjunction with the heightened cost of law degrees, noticeably altered legal accessibility in her town. Lindy found she had taken on several clients who had tried to previously access digital legal support. These new clients had turned to her for assistance after reporting connectivity issues and challenges in navigating the digital landscape. Without some form of incentive to attract young lawyers to RRR areas like hers, Lindy expected to continue seeing many local people in need of legal expertise choosing to represent themselves because of the long wait times at her practice. She knew that this lack of representation would further restrict an already strained system, exacerbating backlogs, and wasting both time and money for clients and those in need. 

To protect the anonymity of those involved, this is a fictionalised account drawn from an amalgamation of real-life stories, experiences and testimonials gathered during the research process for this brief. Any resemblance to actual individuals is purely coincidental.

Conflict of interest/acknowledgment statement: 

Charlotte Egan (Principal Solicitor of Booth Brown Legal) confirmed they would allow us to list them as a public supporter, with permission shared on the 16th July 2026. 

Support 

If your organisation would like to add your support to this paper or suggest amendments, please email Info@foreaustralia.com. 

Disclaimers

Please review all FORE disclaimers here.

Reference list: 

Burton, M. (2018). Justice on the line? A comparison of telephone and face-to-face advice in social welfare legal aid. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 40(2), 195–215. doi.org/10.1080/09649069.2018.1444444 

Department of Education. (2026, May). HELP Debt Reduction for health practitioners. Australian Government. https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-loan-program/help-graduates/reduction-higher-education-loan-program-help-debts-eligible-doctors-and-nurse-practitioners-rural 

Department of Education. (2026, May). HELP Debt Reduction for very remote teachers. Australian Government. https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-loan-program/help-graduates/reduction-higher-education-loan-program-help-debts-teachers-very-remote-areas

Department of Education. (2025, September). Commonwealth supported places and HECS-HELP information. Australian Government. https://www.studyassist.gov.au/download/231/2026-commonwealth-supported-places-and-hecs-help-information-booklet/176/document/pdf 

Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth). https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A01234/2026-04-29/2026-04-29/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html#_Toc229050820 

Hunter, R. (2025, October 24). Independent Review of the HELP Debt Reduction Program - Final Report. Department of Education. https://www.education.gov.au/download/20191/independent-review-help-debt-reduction-program-final-report/44115/document/pdf 

Law Council of Australia. (2023). Position Paper: HELP debt reduction and indexation relief for legal practitioners working in rural, regional and remote locations. [White paper]. https://lawcouncil.au/publicassets/b8db7833-bc93-ee11-948d-005056be13b5/LCA%20Position%20Paper%20-%20RRR%20HELP%20Debt%20Relief.pdf 

Mundy, W. (2024, March). Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership Final Report. Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department. https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-05/nlap-review-final-report.PDF 

Pro Bono Centre. (2016). Pro bono partnerships and models: A Practical Guide to WHAT WORKS (2nd ed.). https://www.probonocentre.org.au/whatworks/part-4/chap-26/ 

Robbie, G. (2024, June 13). Debt relief needed to ensure lawyers stay in the regions. Lawyers Weekly. https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/39885-debt-relief-needed-to-ensure-lawyers-stay-in-the-regions

Ross, B. B. Y., Pisani, A., & Rahman, S. (2025). Frontline perspectives on using audio visual links (AVL) for NSW criminal court proceedings (Bureau Brief No. 177). Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/documents/publications/bb/bb151-200/BB177-Report-Frontline-perspectives-on-using-AVL.pdf 

URBIS. (2024). 2024 National Profile of Solicitors. https://www.lawsociety.com.au/sites/default/files/2025-06/2024%20National%20Profile%20of%20Solicitors%20-%20Final.pdf 

Woods, C. (2025, April 04). NSW regional, rural, and remote lawyers on their key concerns. Law Society Journal. https://lsj.com.au/articles/nsw-regional-rural-and-remote-lawyers-on-their-key-concerns/

Woods, C. (2024, January 11). Solving the regional and rural lawyer shortage. Law Society Journal. https://lsj.com.au/articles/solving-the-regional-and-rural-shortage-of-lawyers/