The Challenge
ABSTUDY provides financial support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who study away from home.In April 2023, an ABC investigation uncovered fraud, neglect, and abuse in government-funded student hostels. Governance gaps, unclear ownership, and outdated processes put student safety at risk. Departments were politically constrained, with legal ambiguity stalling decisions.
The result? Vulnerable students were missing out on basic needs like travel, uniforms, and safe accommodation.
The Approach
Mapped Governance & Policy Gaps
Uncovering disconnects between agencies, schools, and hostels.
Captured Real Stories
Layering lived experience with systemic insights through narrative journeys and future-state maps.
Reframed Risk
We positioned the project around student welfare (not blame or fraud), enabling open dialogue across silos.
Designed Practical Tools
We co-created risk matrices, soft-hold alerts, and a protocol framework that frontline staff could apply immediately.
Outcome
We turned fragmented data, outdated journey maps, and siloed perspectives into fit-for-purpose artefacts that teams could act on safely while policy reform was underway.
The Solution
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Policy Implementation Readiness Model – aligned stakeholders on cultural, structural, and relational conditions for reform.
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Risk Scenario Framework – revealed signs of misuse, disempowered faculty, and manipulated reporting.
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Early Intervention Pathways – enabled action now (risk flags, thresholds, data use) while legal/policy issues were negotiated.
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Community Involvement – engaged families and Elders early to shift from top-down control to co-design.
The Impact
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Clearer accountability between Services Australia, hostels, schools, and families.
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Practical frontline protocols that reduced misuse without punishing families.
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A cultural shift from blame to protection — putting student safety first.
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Foundations laid for systemic reform through stronger governance and insight-driven policy.
Why It Matters
This project demonstrates how service design can create impact in even the most politically sensitive, constrained environments. By reframing fraud as a design and governance challenge, we enabled teams to act where inaction had been the norm — protecting students today while shaping safer systems for tomorrow.