If you’ve seen something about HECS/HELP debt and indexation – or you’re one of the 3 million Aussies who had a debt – you might want to understand what’s happening before Thursday… Student debts are set to increase in line with Australia’s inflation rate, which is a whopping 7.1% this year. The inflation-linked increase applied to the government’s student debt scheme was less remarkable when inflation hovered at around 2%, but our recent inflation spike has meant that, to give one reported example, someone who has been paying their debt since 2018 could owe more than when they graduated. Enter a group of crossbench MPs and senators who have written to PM Anthony Albanese and Education Minister Jason Clare, offering to help pass laws to stop the rise. If they’re serious, they’d better act fast with Thursday’s deadline looming. But as any dedicated uni student will tell you, there’s nothing like an all-nighter to meet a deadline…