<
https://theconversation.com/how-did-australian-universities-go-from-free-education-to-50-000-arts-degrees-in-50-years-268782>
"Australians think students are being asked to pay far too much for their
degrees. Just under half (47%) of Australians surveyed by YouGov in June 2025
believe a worker on an average income should be able to pay off the debt for a
standard three-year degree within five years. When it comes to the cost of a
degree, 58% believe a student should pay A$5,000 or less per year – less than a
third of what arts students now pay.
Just under one in five, or 18%, believe a standard degree should be free – as
it was 50 years ago, when the Whitlam Labor government introduced free
university education in 1974. This ended in 1989, when in a world first, the
Hawke Labor government introduced the income contingent Higher Education
Contribution Scheme (HECS) – which is still with us today. It has continued to
evolve, with costs to students rising with successive governments since.
Today, thanks to the Job Ready Graduates scheme introduced by the Morrison
Coalition government in 2021, the cost of an arts degree has risen to over
A$50,000.
Unsurprisingly, the Universities Admissions Centre found that concern over HECS
debt influences the decision to attend university for 40% of Year 12 students.
How did we get here?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
