Federal politics has returned to Canberra for the first time since the May election with reforms to student loans/HELP debts the first thing to hit parliament. The 20-percent reduction is a welcome change for the three million Australians managing a student debt.

But is this the first change of many, or the last we can expect for a while? 

We take a look at how the nation and the world has benefited from fee-free university, and what can be done to ease the burden on graduates forced to grapple with cost-of-living pressures.