Textbook tax: further impoverishing students

"HECS fees are increasing by twenty-five percent, while postgraduate coursework fees remain deregulated and can be tens of thousands of dollars. Now these students to being asked to pay an extra eight per cent on the cost of their text books," said CAPA President Stephen Horton today.

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations applauds Senator Natasha Stott Despoja's defence of the Educational Textbook Subsidy, and encourages Australians to show their support for the textbook subsidy by signing the Democrats on-line petition.

CAPA also welcomes the Senate Inquiry into Student Poverty initiated by Senator Stott Despoja. "Most postgraduate students have already accrued a HECS debt. On top of this, postgraduate coursework fees are exorbitant. It's accepted that people regularly need to re-skill throughout their working lifetime, but to do so is forcing them into significant debt. The government is effectively creating an underclass of those who are attempting to better their employment prospects." Mr Horton said.

"Senator Stott Despoja's initiatives demonstrate an appreciation of the difficult conditions faced by students--including postgraduate coursework students whose issues are often ignored," concluded Mr Horton.