There’s a political pile-on about the impact of indexation to student debt – Carol Ey from the excellent Parliamentary Library explains what’s happening and in its usual Joe Friday (“just the facts Ma’am”) fashion

In particular she sets out how indexation is factored and explains why the new figure is 7.1 per cent, in line with the 12 month CPI increase as of March, but how last year’s was 3.9 per cent, a full 1 per cent below CPI.

Indexation used to be based on Average Weekly Earnings, which the coalition government  changed to CPI in 2018 – which accounts for some of the anguish from graduates whose debt is increasing faster than their pay.

Which some may think makes more than a bit rich shadow education education minister Sarah Henderson’s view (via Twitter) that indexation penalties on student loans are, “fuelled by Labor’s sky-high inflation which has driven up HECS debts by 7.1%, it’s unjust that so many Australians are being gouged like this.