Media Releases

Postgrads React to Research Fee Hikes: Hockey’s Horror Budget Crashes Peak Body Website

15 May 14

May 15, 2014

money-722x300Research students have flooded the Council of Australian Postgraduate Association’s website and social media following the announcement of cuts to the Research Training Scheme which will force students to foot the bill for the first time, with web traffic crashing the peak body’s portal on Wednesday.

The announcement in Tuesday’s budget that domestic PhD and Masters by Research students would be changed fees for the first time has been seized upon by worried postgrads who feel that the dramatic shift has been hidden by the Government and ignored by the media.

“Research students were paying $0 under the Research Training Scheme.  They will now be asked to pay up to $3,900.  I hate to state the obvious, but that’s a really dramatic change to the way we fund our research and it’s something we should all be talking about” said Meghan Hopper, President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations.

“There are currently 60,000 PhD and Masters by Research students in Australia.  While the $3,900 payment doesn’t apply to every student, it’s an enormous shift from current policy, an enormous cost, and postgraduates are speaking out” Ms Hopper said.

The $3,900 payment will apply to students in courses the Government has determined to be “high cost”, including such critical research fields as medicine, science, and engineering.  Students completing PhDs or Masters by Research in fields such as the humanities and education will be charged up to $1,700.

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Association has written to the Department seeking clarification as to whether the fees will apply to existing students as well as incoming students when they are introduced on January 1, 2016.

The President of the Graduate Students’ Association at the University of Melbourne, Jim Smith, said Australia’s future research leaders would be put off by the introduction of fees.

“The Graduate Students’ Association at the University of Melbourne represents 5,000 PhD and Masters by Research students who will be devastated by these cuts to the Research Training Scheme” Mr Smith said.

“Research students have  never had to pay HELP before so asking them to do so now is a terrible blow.”

On the Council of Australian Postgraduate Association’s website, a student named Jessica said she would now choose to study overseas rather than contribute to Australia’s knowledge economy.

“Was trying to find the right Uni to do my PhD with based in Australia because I felt strongly about contributing to our nation’s body of research” Jessica said.

“As of yesterday I have decided to do my PhD with a University in Belgium where the total cost, even for an international student, is 250 euro.  There is nothing to even think twice about.”

Research students have also voiced their outrage on a petition started by the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations to oppose the fee hikes and the cuts to the Research Training Scheme.

“This is insane, education is a human right! Where am I even going to get $4,000?!?” asked Rebecca Riley.

You can sign CAPA’s petition calling on members of the Opposition and the incoming Senate cross-bench to vote to reverse RTS fees and cuts at
https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-australian-parliament-reverse-research-training-scheme-cuts-phd-and-masters-by-research-fees.

Contact:

Ms Meghan B. Hopper
President – Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations
president@capa.edu.au / 0421 807 303