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More Public Policy!

Don't worry, I'll put a stupid ad up soon, but I was interested to see this post from Andrew Norton on the HECS/HELP program.

I guess in some way this is related to my previous post. On the whole, I am supportive of the notion of user contributions to higher education, provided policymakers get the balance right, which I am not sure has been the case over the past decade. As a result, I am interested in the broader impacts of that balance/imbalance. My own anecdotal experience (dangerous, I know) of teaching at UTas over the past seven years tends to support Norton's assumption, if anything it seems like more diverse backgrounds are being represented through the School of Government than was the case in my undergrad days (1996-99). Obviously the reasons for this are complex and wide-ranging, but it has provoked my interest whenever I read another attack on HECS/HELP.

I'd like to see the figures drilled into a bit, and wonder if it is reflective across the states, and more particularly, if figures are consistent from regional and rural areas as well. I’ll keep an eye out for any future stuff.

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