May 4, 2024

Sky News host Rita Panahi says Australia has got “too many kids at universities” doing “junk degrees”.

Ms Panahi says they are being sold “false hope”.

“They’re leaving university with a big debt,” she said.

“It doesn’t actually help them achieve anything in terms of meaningful employment.

“Their job they end up doing bares no relation to the degree.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-05/help-hecs-debt-indexation-2024-cut-easier...



Posted 9h ago



    In short: Student debts will be lowered for more than three million Australians under reforms designed to stop HECS loans growing faster than wages.
    Loan indexation will now match whichever is lower out of the Consumer Price Index or the Wage Price Index — which the government says will prevent another shock increase like last year's 7.1 per cent increase.
    What's next? The changes will be introduced in the 2024 budget and, pending getting through parliament, will take effect from June.

Millions of Australians with student loans will have hundreds of dollars wiped from their HECS debts as the federal government rolls out its plans for cost-of-living relief in the upcoming budget.

Every June HECS debts are indexed and bumped up a few percentage points to make sure the amount owed keeps up with inflation.

For almost 35 years indexation has been calculated based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is now at historic highs.

Last year's 7.1 per cent increase was the largest hike since 1990 leaving some in a debt spiral with loans increasing faster than they could be repaid.

Annual HECS indexation will now be calculated on whichever figure is lower out of CPI and the Wage Price Index (WPI).

The policy will be backdated to June 1 2023, which means last year's 7.1 per cent indexation will be lowered to the WPI of 3.2 per cent.

"This will wipe out around $3 billion in student debt from more than three million Australians," Education Minister Jason Clare said.

Bobby. wrote on May 5^th, 2024 at 2:30pm:


Good move!   

Bobby. wrote on May 5^th, 2024 at 2:52pm:


The term "junk degrees" is only ever used by people who have never been to university.

If you want a job, go to TAFE; if you want to expand your mind, go to university.

Goober says he has a degree (I don't believe him)and is unemployed.  His is a junk degree

John Smith wrote on May 5^th, 2024 at 3:02pm:



Hi Smith,
what was your degree - King's Cross rough trade?

Bobby. wrote on May 5^th, 2024 at 3:09pm:


This is not the forum for you to try to  pick up Goober.

greggerypeccary wrote on May 5^th, 2024 at 2:58pm:


" Sexual violence has been perpetrated by around one in four men in studies among US university students and in community populations in other countries, by between one in ten and one in eight men in various European and other countries, and by close to half of men in some countries. In sexual violence, the use of verbal coercion and alcohol or drug-facilitated or incapacitated coercion is more common than the use of physical force. For example, North American studies of male university students find that about one in five have coerced someone into sex using verbal tactics (verbal pressuring, anger, threats to the relationship, etc.), while about one in 15 have used alcohol or drug incapacitation, physical force or threats of physical force."

https://research.qut.edu.au/centre-for-justice/wp-content/uploads/sites/304/2023...

Expands the mind.