Why was $9 p.w. Chosen?

Cottier argues that the STB should be increased by $7.50 p.w. to restore the relativity which existed in 1976 between the level of the bursary and students' living costs, using average university hostel fees as the basis for measuring such costs.

The extra $1.50 p.w. is claimed as additional necessary compensation for the tax changes announced in the 1978 budget. The reason for this is that the full impact of the 1978 budget changes will not be felt until the end of the 1979/80 financial year. (This is in addition to the mid-1978 increase of $1.50 p.w. which compensated for the phase-in of the new taxation scales and the wiping of the personal, rebate).