19734 (2026). Shanan Halbert to the Minister for Tertiary Education

19734 (2026). Shanan Halbert to the Minister for Tertiary Education: How many work based learners received the fees free scheme between 2020 and 2026, listed by ethnicity?

Hon Penny Simmonds: I refer the Member to the attached table for the number of work-based learners who received the fees free scheme between 2020 and 2026, listed by ethnicity. **CONTEXT** Data for the first-year Fees Free policy and the final-year Fees Free policy are supplied separately. • All learner numbers in this information request have been rounded to the nearest five. Where learner values are less than five, the actual value has not been provided for privacy reasons. These can be identified by the "S" value. Due to rounding and suppression, the underlying values may not add up exactly to total values. First-year Fees Free • First-year Fees Free data is valid as at 22 May 2026. First-year Fees Free payments have not yet been finalised, and these numbers are subject to change. • First-year Fees Free learners are recorded under the calendar year they were enrolled in eligible Fees Free study or training, not the year payment was made. • First-year Fees Free learners may receive Fees Free across multiple calendar years, and are counted in each calendar year they used Fees Free. • Learners may be reported under more than one ethnicity; therefore subtotals will exceed the total learner count for each calendar year. • The Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) was introduced in July 2020 and covered learner fees until December 2022 for learners enrolled in apprenticeships and priority areas. Learners covered under TTAF did not use first-year Fees Free at the time, but retained their entitlement to use for Fees Free eligible study or training at a later date. • First-year Fees Free operated under a transition period in 2025, where some learners who had already started using Fees Free and had remaining entitlement could continue to access Fees Free for the same qualification or programme until 31 December 2025. First-year Fees Free did not support any new learners in 2025. Final-year Fees Free • Final-year Fees Free data is valid as at 4 May 2026. • Final-year Fees Free learners are recorded under the calendar year they completed their eligible work-based programme, not the year payment was made. • As final-year Fees Free learners have up to 12 months from their completion date to apply for their Fees Free payment via IR, payments for 2025 completions will not be finalised until 2027, and payments for 2026 completions will not be finalised until 2028.