HECS debt out of control

By Ben Walker
University students living poor today have only crippling debt to look forward to on graduation. That’s why last week students from the University of Sydney and UNSW took part in ‘Cut HECS week’ to encourage the Rudd government to act on its education revolution and reduce the HECS burden carried by students.
Students had their photographs taken with balls and chains to illustrate their financial condition upon graduation.
Sydney University Student Representative Council (SRC) hosted a BBQ where students wrote their estimated HECS debt and deposited it into the HECS piggybank.
NSW National Union of Students president David Barrow says students are being forced to shoulder HECS debts of up to $50,000 to go to university.
‘Young people are graduating now with huge levels of personal debt, pushing normal things like buying a house of starting a small business even further out of their reach,’ Barrow said.    ‘The Rudd government has promised to fix the problems facing our universities; we want to make sure student voices are listened to. We need real action on HECS, not just a band-aid solution.’
SRC education officer Chris Moore said the high cost of HECS might be tolerable for students who were better off but debt-sensitive families would think twice about sending their kids to university. ‘That means education for the rich and not for the poor,’ he said.
And third-year International Studies and Law student Pratheepa Kandaswamy wonders how it will be possible to save money while paying back HECS.
‘I’m going to owe $40,000 by the end of my degree. My standard of living is going to drop when I graduate.’