University educators and students are calling on the Australian Government to abolish the current student contribution system which has more than doubled the debts incurred for some degrees.
The job-ready graduates package, introduced by the Morrison Government in 2021, has significantly increased students’ debts in courses such as Arts, Communications and Law, whilst decreasing debts incurred for STEM courses.
The independent Universities Accord, ordered by the Albanese Government has recommended the scheme be abolished, a call which has been echoed by leading tertiary education experts and university students.
Australian National Unversity professor of Higher Education Policy, Andrew Norton said that the scheme needs to be urgently addressed for those paying high fees.
“I think particularly for lower paid fields which have the top student contribution, we should have a more urgent fix,” he said.
Mr Norton said the scheme’s aim of encouraging more student uptake in STEM courses was never achievable.
“The basic theory was never credible,” he said.
“You’re not going to be convinced to study a course that bores you simply to save a few thousand dollars down the track.”
Mr Norton said that it was also clear that some students would face large debts as a result of the scheme, with some students being unlikely to ever pay off their debt.
“What was definite is the people who chose the courses which had high student contributions would end up with significant debts as a result,” he said.
“In some fields, courses like arts, a good share of students based on my analysis probably won’t complete repayments during their working lives.”
University of Wollongong Law and Business student Tory Misiti said the inflated fees for his courses has caused real concern for his future financial security.
“It’s currently quite a broken system that adversely affects a lot of students,” he said.
“It does stir up a lot of anxiety about the future.
“To be a double degree student and have a HECS debt of over 20 grand after only two years, does not put you in a good position for the future.”
Mr Misiti said that he believes students did not choose degrees based on cost, and that the scheme was the wrong way to address issues of labour shortages in some fields.
“It’s about a career passion, it’s about what industry you want to go into, and the finance of the degree is the bitter pill you have to swallow,” he said.
“I think it is a bit of an under-the-table way of going about it, instead of facing the issue head-on.”
Mr Misiti also agreed that the student debt system requires urgent improvements.
“I think that the action needs to be taken as soon as possible,” he said.
University of Sydney Arts student, Evie Jones said she believes universities are no longer being run as educational institutions, and that she too has anxiety about her future.
“I’m sick of universities becoming a business,” she said.
“It does bring me a lot of stress when I think about my future.”
The Australian Government has committed to establishing a Tertiary Education Commission to oversee student fee changes however this is not intended to be operational until July 2025.
