A little rant...
24 June 2006
Today I got a bill. A very big bill. A very very big bill.
I owe $20,426 for my uni education.
One thing I couldn’t help but notice is that HECS is now called HELP. I’m sorry but I can’t help but be a cynical. Perhaps the name HECS was bad PR maybe its alliterative nature sounded nasty. Why the name change? Often it feels like government departments reinvent the wheel every couple of years... “I know if we change the name (at the taxpayers’ expense) we’ll seem so much nicer and friendlier.” OR “If we change the name and make it sound more sexy people will actually want to pay the money back.”
I know I feel sooo much better owing 20 grand to a Scheme called HELP... Grrrr
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$20 000 via taxes. Or $20 000 via HELP.
Either way, you pay! :)
I'm still paying mine. Finished 15 years ago.
You all don't have socialized education?
'socialized' education?? What is that? ( clearly not :))
CK, primary and secondary are free. Tertiary used to be free, but they are charging more and more for it each year.
The government still pays around 70% of the cost, but you are now required to pay back the other 30% or so over your working life...
What exactly does the "cost" cover? Lecturers' time? Heating costs for the lecture theatres? I'm curious.
don't worry jolly, I opened up my Help statement, and it's at $37,025, with more to come.
one word... HELP
Shiloh - the total cost of running the university.
shiloh - "Heating costs for the lecture theatres?"
nah! it all goes to heating costs for the morris miller!
When Craig says: "Primary and Secondary are 'free'", he means 'at tax-payers expense’.
Live here in the States for a while, and someone'll let you know that nothing is free.
Especially at a GOP convention at election time.
Good point justin
The way HECS (now HELP - I noticed it too the other day... only $16, 500 to go for me, yay!) works is that the gov. pays for your university education and the amount it costs is retrieved via your tax (or you can pay it all off in one go and save some money). It accrues a small amount of interest (in line with inflation) and you only have to pay it once you reach a certain income threshold.
Also - if you die, the debt doesn't get passed on to your next of kin.