Love or hate the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at least they’ve planned to do something to help university students. Finally!
I’ ve written about the struggles of some university students to complete unpaid placement here. The dropout rate of university students, especially parents, is astronomical. As I wrote at the time, Grattan Institute reported that 70% of part – time students didn’t finish their degrees.
A major reason was Work Placement. Many courses, like Social Work, education and nursing require hundreds, if not a thousand hours Field Placement.
Until now, students have been doing Field Placement unpaid. This is unsustainable, especially now with the cost of living crisis.
Not to mention how high fees and Higher Education Contribution Scheme- Higher Education Loan Program (HECS-HELP) loans are. And, according to Yahoo Finance, HECS debt is set to rise again next month. The average HECS debt is estimated to rise by A$1,245.00.
This is despite the Australian Labor Government vowing to force universities to cap fee rises so they don’t exceed Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Labor introduced funds for university Work Placement
According to Conor Duffy from ABC, promised funds for social work, teaching and nursing students.
Prime Minister said:
Teachers give our children the best start in life, they deserve a fair start to their career. We’re proud to be backing the hard work and aspirations of Australians looking to better themselves by studying at university.
‘Government moves to fund students on university placements for teaching, nursing and social work’, Connor Duffy, 5 May 2024
The ALP promised A$320 per week. Chalmers, nor Albanese offered any estimate to how much the means – tested scheme would cost before the budget was announced.
The scheme will be means – tested and it’s estimated that 68,000 university students will be eligible.
This coincided with ALP’s promise to change the indexation to ease pressure on HECS – HELP fees.
Step in the right direction, but nowehere near enough
I know people probably are against this. ‘Why should taxpayers pay for university students? They’ll earn more than me!’ Or, ‘I went to university and I was able to pay off my HECS. Why shouldn’t they?’
Here is my take. What the Labor Government is (hopefully) moving in the right direction.
I think university in Australia is becoming to unattainable for the majority. And I can’t see that as a win for anyone. University fees are so unrealistic that universities in Sydney and Melbourne are heavily reliant on international students.
And what ablut costs in other areas? Other services? Teen Vogue reported that stress over high university fees is exacerbating poor mental health of university students in the US. The cost of living crisis in Australia is already forcing people to choose between seeking therapy and paying rent.
So, I’m glad that Labor is promising to wipe off A$3billion of student debt. While it’s not enough, it’s something.
Also, free Work Placement, especially in today’s economy can’t be justified, especially when it goes for hundreds of hours.
So, it’s something. But it’s nowhere near enough. Students shouldn’t struggle to live.