I don't wish to create a large debate but I am curious how one justifies implementing something so completely unsustainable...
How long do you propose something like that could go on?
I had a mother who had friends return to uni to do things as a result. Maybe she should have gone back and done medicine. But how do you think the government pays for free university education?
I spent 10 years in the university system one way or another and only because of international students and post grad can they afford to do things. They were completely stripped of funding during that time.
I'm just highly confused as to how it was ever a good idea...
As someone who's first degree was free (well, shall we amend this to completely subsidised by the Australian government) and who's second degree was completely self-funded (making me one of those students who dropped serious cash), I see pros and cons to most sides of the education debate. My personal opinion is that the Australian education system is what it is and I accept it for that. Don't really care two ways about it other than I'm profoundly grateful to have been able to get an education, subsidised or paid for.
As to how long it goes on for? At some stage, the Aussie government will probably start to cut their expenses and at that point who can say about what the
fees charged per degree will head to. Fees in Australian Universities certainly have the potential of heading the way of American Universities. It is the subsidy provided by the Australian government that keeps the fees as low as they currently are.
Afterall, the Australian government used to provide *free* water and gas to its residences. Privatisation and the subsequent taxing of the utility company revenues provides the government a means of keeping the dollars rolling in without the pain of being the one to increase the rates for these utilities.
HECS is a means of recovering some of those costs from the students and the Aussie Government has found a better means to
collect the fees, via a student's tax after they earn a certain amount. Yes, the contribution per student is lower than what the US students have to pay but who can say what the future brings?
And the government pays for it by collecting taxes from everyone and corporates. Same as how they pay for everything else.

But I was on a completely different tangent......the debate was about whether *free* education was the WORST thing that happened in Australia.
Given a different sample population (eg Aboriginal people might think the First Fleet landing; farmers might say rabbits and cane toads)....I'm sure we can come up with a list of worthy contenders for worst thing to happen in Australia.
