By Paul Kniest. NTEU analysis (downlaod copy below) of the new funding and regulatory arrangements for higher education concludes that:

• a minimum average increase in university tuition fees of at least 33% just to compensate for reductions in government funding and the introduction of new student funded scholarship scheme,
• the lifting of the cap on university fees could see the tuition fees for some degrees reach or exceed $100,000 especially in degrees like medicine, law, engineering and management and commerce,
• the introduction of interest on HELP debts is highly inequitable because students from disadvantaged backgrounds will not be in a position to pay their fees upfront,  
• the changes to HELP are especially unfair for students who elect to take career breaks which means there is strong bias against female graduates, and
• the size and cost of servicing students loans will be the equivalent of a second mortgage. More...

By Courtney Sloane. NTEU research released today shows the impact increased university fees will have on students.
The research also includes predictions of how far fees will rise under the new arrangements as announced in the Federal Budget, and the time it will take students to pay off these debts.
The NTEU predicts that degrees such as engineering, law and dentistry could cost over $100,000, and medicine could rise to as much as $180,000. On average, the cost of degrees will more than double. More...

By Terri Macdonald. Despite claims by the Prime Minister that he is feminist, this was the first time in over 30 years that a Federal Government did not produce a Women’s Budget Statement as one element of the official Budget Papers. While the Government has remained silent as to why it abandoned this practice, it  may be to avoid highlighting the fact that  women will be the worst affected by the measures in 2014 Federal Budget, be it in higher education, the workplace, as carers or as seniors, from any walk of life. More...

By Courtney Sloane. The Greens have launched a website to help millions of students, graduates, future students and their families understand how the Coalition Government’s extreme and regressive changes to higher education are going to impact them.
The website ‘What will my degree cost?’ gives every individual the chance to estimate the direct financial impact of these changes by adjusting variables such as what course they study, their total student debt and their starting salary.
To see the site in action, visit: http://www.whatwillmydegreecost.com.au/. More...

By Paul Kniest. NTEU analysis released today shows that the Abbott Government is shifting debt and costs away from the government and onto students.
Crucially, it shows that the level of debt students will owe the government will exceed the Australian government’s net debt sometime in the early 2020s as a result of their higher education changes.
NTEU National President, Jeannie Rea said this was cost shifting on a grand scale. More...

By Jeannie Rea. Education Minister Pyne claims that he wants to deregulate the Australian university system to improve innovation and quality through outright competition. While he cites the United States higher education system as his model, this has been met with dismay and incredulity from within and outside the sector.
The gross education division by wealth in the US system, along with sloppy regulation, and out of control student debt does not make it a system to emulate. Indeed the US federal administration is desperately trying to reign in the billions of dollars in loans and grants by proposing an audit of universities and colleges examining student fees, progression rates and graduation outcomes, as it is very clear that there are numerous private, including for-profit colleges just ripping off students and families. More...