The distributional impact of public expenditure on such programs as health, education and housing is frequently ignored in studies of income distribution. This may bias assessment of both the relative living standards of different types of families at any particular point in time and of trends...

The Australian Government introduced the so-called 'AUSTUDY Supplement' in the 1992-93 budget. The scheme gives AUSTUDY recipients the option of trading in up to $2000 per year of their grant for $4000 of an income-contingent loan, to be paid back according to the current HECS arrangements,...