FULL FEE PLACES HURT AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES
May 16 2007
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) supports university students around Australia who are today protesting the Government’s decision to allow universities to offer unlimited numbers of undergraduate full fee paying places.
“Australian students already pay amongst the highest university fees in the OECD and the changes to full fee places, announced in last week’s Federal Budget, have significant additional equity and debt implications for future students,” said Andrew Nette, NTEU Policy and Research Coordinator.
“NTEU believes that students who gain an undergraduate place at an Australian university should do so based on their academic merit and not on their or their families’ ability to pay significant upfront full fees.”
“While full fee undergraduate places are not currently offered until government supported student places have been filled, Australian students who can afford to pay for a full fee place can gain access to a selected course with lower entry marks than students who can not afford to pay these fees.”
“How many students from disadvantaged backgrounds, or even from ordinary Australian families, can afford to pay fees or incur debts of up to $200,000 to undertake an undergraduate degree?”
“NTEU has major concerns about the sustainability of a system whose growth relies on ever increasing costs to Australian students and their families.”
“The Government’s claims that abolishing full fee places for domestic undergraduate students would discriminate against Australian students are simply wrong,” said Nette.
“Full fee undergraduate places are entirely appropriate for international students attending Australian universities, because such students and their families do not pay Australian taxes.”
“Australian families already contribute to Australia’s university sector through paying tax. Students taking up a government supported undergraduate place then pay an additional contribution through the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS).”
“The NTEU has consistently opposed policies which allow Australian public universities to enrol full fee paying domestic undergraduate students and strongly supports Labor’s commitment to scrap such places for Australian undergraduate students.”
Information and Comment:
Andrew Nette, NTEU Policy and Research Coordinator: 0438 026 277
Emma Cull, NTEU Policy and Research Officer: 0417 660112