Loan scheme available to help with back-to-school costs

No-interest loans made available to help struggling Tasmanian families facing the burden of back-to-school costs. Discover who qualifies for the support.

Minister Roger Jaensch Picture: Linda Higginson

No-interest loans of up to $2000 are available for Tasmanian families facing the burden of back-to-school costs.

Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Roger Jaensch said as families made preparations for the start of the new school year, they should be aware of a number of government-supported initiatives to help out.

“At this time of year, we know that parents are looking at upfront costs for things like school uniforms, textbooks, laptops and computers,” Minister Jaensch said.

“I would encourage people who are in difficulty to reach out to the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS), which can help with no interest loans to pay for education essentials that are integral to enable learning.

“The Tasmanian Liberal Government is providing $1 million each year for NILS to help Tasmanian families access safe, fair and affordable credit in their time of need.

“We know that there are cost of living challenges as a result of rising interest rates as well as rising food and petrol costs for many Tasmanians and having access to loans with no interest, fees or charges, can be an enormous relief.”

To qualify for a NILS loan, applicants need to be Tasmanian residents and the holder of a current healthcare card, pension card, DVA card, or low income healthcare card or have a gross income of $55,000 or less, to live in stable accommodation and have the capacity to repay the loan.

For more information go to www.nilstasmania.org.au