Thousands of Tasmanian families will benefit from the expansion of the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS), which waives the cost of Tasmanian Government levies for eligible students, for the 2021 school year onwards.
The expansion will see upwards of 9,000 additional students become eligible for STAS, which means that around one in two students will no longer pay school levies.
The eligibility for STAS will move to using the Health Care Card or equivalent as the assessment mechanism, replacing previous income thresholds that applied.
This will make a significant difference to families, for example, for a family with three school age students this could provide a saving of over $1,000 per year.
Our Government is committed to supporting families following the impacts of COVID-19, and we know that implementing this change will benefit thousands of Tasmanians who need it most.
This announcement follows the 2020 levy waiver which provided $14 million in relief to families, and the announcement in June this year that all Tasmanian Government School debts for 2019 and prior totalling $2.8 million would also be waived.
Combined, as part of the Tasmanian Government’s unprecedented social and economic package, more than $17 million in school levies and related charges have now either been reimbursed or waived.
For more information on levies and charges, please visit: https://www.education.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/parent-fact-sheets/fees-levies/
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