Because $11 490 isn't enough.

[melwil]

The federal budget, Peter Costello's smirking moment of the year, was handed down last night. As you might know if you have visited lizbee's LJ, one of the government's major budget reforms includes the higher education system. These changes (due to be in place for the beginning of 2005) include:

-Abolishing compulsory union fees
-Allowing universities to raise most fees by 30% (deregulation)
-Allowing students to borrow up to $50 000 with an interest rate 0f 3.5% - plus inflation
-Using the universities as guinea pigs for work place reforms
-A 'learning entitlement' that limits students to five years of publicly subsidised education.

Now, before I start yelling about this, it would be appropriate to rehash Australia's current education status. Each undergraduate student in Australia is given the chance to defer their university fees in a system known as HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme). You pay this money back to the government in your taxes when you earn enough money. The fees are graded dependent on the course you take - (education, nursing, arts, humanities, performing and visual arts, science and foreign languages on the lowest rung; accounting, commerce, economics, maths, statistics, computing, engineering, science and agriculture on the second rung; law, dentistry, medicine and veterinary on the highest) and calculated on the number of courses you take over a year.

I took 33 courses over three years and two courses over another half a year. I have a degree which will not get me a full time job. I owe the government $11 490. That's a low bill.

Of course, if I had thought about it, I probably should have done education right from the beginning. But our system, probably like many others, requires students to choose their future education at the age of 14 or 15 - when they're in grade 10.

Because students will only get five years of subsidised education, choosing the right course in the first place will be vital. So too, getting the right marks to study - because doing one year of an easier course to increase your OP or score will put your allotted time in danger. Even doing your honours year could be against the government's new rules.

Not to mention that the thirty percent extra would have put my degree at around $15 030 - and there's no guarantee that it won't go up more in the future.

It won't really affect me - I want two more years at teaching, but teaching and nursing will be protected. But it will affect my youngest sister who graduates from high school in 2004 (to begin uni in 2005), and further down the track, my own children. It means that being a stay at home mother will be less of a choice for women my age, because we'll need to be earning money to give our children the kind of education that was free for the people who are inflicting this on us.

Comments

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to end up doing most of my yelling on this topic on my own LJ (when I escape proofreading hell), and just link to all other yellers. But I thought I'd share now what my housemate said about the five year thing this morning - Medical students don't mind yelling, and nor do Engineers. And Law students know who to yell to. And all those degrees take five years or more.

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

That's what confused the hell out of me...there are degrees that take more than 5 years! There are also some engineering degrees that combine with work placements and take something like 7 years.

My undergrad degree took 4 years, virtually no one finished in the 3 years because nearly everyone inevitably stuffed up on one of the maths courses and as the maths courses weren't taught each semester, what should have been an extra 6 months inevitably ended up an extra year (we had to do 3 years of maths). Add in honours and I'd just squeak through.

I'm watching this country being gutted in front of my eyes. Only the rich will have access to education and health care.
Because the Liberal party can't allow the masses to be educated, that would mean they'd be able to think and you'd have working class kids becoming doctors and lawyers. Can't have that! Lets lower the scores so the rich kids can buy the degrees.

Of course Peter Costello probably paid nothing for his degree...

[dienacht.livejournal.com]

Can anyone tell me why they're limiting it to 5 years? I mean, what's the big deal!? So what if people become professional students (which is possibly what this is about I'm guessing), they're not hurting anyone and they are still paying for it! And what if, like me (and you), the first course you do turns out to be a waste of time or inappropriate? And to do the right course will take an added three years on top of the three already spent at uni? Do we just stop going and forfeit our careers? Bugger that! I'm utterly appalled!

I still cannot comprehend how uni used to be free. Now look where we're at. Is nothing sacred!?

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

There are so many problems with the five year thing that if people were thinking straight, this couldn't possibly go through the Senate. It's gotten to the point that you can't get a job in certain fields without an Honours degree, which adds a year; No Law School that I know of will let a school-leaver do straight law, which means double degree, which means five years, + your honours year in the second discipline. And I'm not going to go near the extra language qualifications they've been shoving in our faces the past ten years: they wanted diversification, they wanted multi-skilling, and they got it. Now they're going back on all of it.

Well, I guess the good thing is that I'm actually riled up enough about this to be willing to spend some time writing letters/emails. I haven't done that since the "Ten-Point Plan" battle...

[melwil.livejournal.com]

I think riting letters is the only way we're going to stop this from happening. Not so much to the Liberals/Nationals - as we all know they're not really listening to us - but writing to Labour, the Greens and the Democrats who want to stop this going through the senate.

If we let them know that they have our support on this, then there's a better chance that it will be blocked.

[faithlesskat.livejournal.com]

I think the budget is what I feel asleep watching last night... Anyway, the whole higher education scheme needs to be completely rethought. The Norweigian government actually pays for their students to study. Shit, they even send them to Australia, paying for their fees, and two return flights a year. Plus they give a student allowance.

So, if you are concerned about your child's education, go to a university (QUT is good) find a cute Norweigian bloke, marry him, move to Norway - and then your kids tertiary education will be taken care of - and they can even attend the same uni you went to.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I say! It's brilliant!

::runs off to find herself a Norweigian::

[dienacht.livejournal.com]

Problem: Norwegian students are pratts. They trully are awful. I have three in one of my classes, the very one's Amanda worked with for a semester and nearlly stabbed them for. Just never say the "N" word near her, she may stab you instead!