It set up the Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS),[5] which was first proposed by Professor Murray Wells[6] and subsequently developed by economist and lecturer at the Australian National University, Bruce Chapman and championed by Education Minister John Dawkins (see Dawkins Revolution). Under the original HECS, a $1,800 fee was charged to all university students, and the Commonwealth paid the balance. A student could defer payment of this HECS amount (in which case it was called a HECS debt) and repay the debt through the tax system, when the student's income exceeds a threshold level.[7] As part of the reforms, Colleges of Advanced Education entered the University sector by various means.