From free university to $15,000 a year
THE TLDR: Australian university education has transformed from completely free (1974-1989) to increasingly expensive, with some degrees now costing up to $15,000 annually. The 2020 Job-Ready Graduates Package doubled humanities fees by 113% while arts degrees that once cost nothing now burden students with significant debt loads.
KEY FACTS:
1️⃣ University fees have escalated dramatically through multiple policy changes: starting with HECS introduction in 1989 at $1,800 annually, then Howard's three-tiered system in 1996 ($3,300-$5,500), followed by Turnbull's 2017 increases and income threshold reductions, culminating in Morrison's 2020 Job-Ready Graduates Package creating four fee levels from $3,950 to $15,000.
2️⃣ The Job-Ready Graduates Package deliberately restructured pricing to influence student choices, doubling humanities and arts fees by 113% to $14,500+ annually while reducing costs for science, maths and teaching degrees, effectively using price as a tool to steer students toward "national priority" fields.
3️⃣ HECS debt burden has intensified with 7.1% indexation rates and lower repayment thresholds introduced in 2017, meaning students not only pay more upfront but face higher interest accumulation and start repaying at lower income levels than previous generations.
Delve deeper with our Punter Citations:
ABC: From free university to $15,000 a year for an arts degree — tracking the cost of Australia's higher education over three generations
Bonus resource
The Guardian: Australian universities report finds quality of education eroded by ‘long-term underfunding’
The Australia Institute: Time to shake up Australia’s university sector
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