How did Australian universities go from free education to $50,000 arts degrees in 50 years?
Australians think students are being asked to pay far too much for their degrees. Just under half (47%) of Australians surveyed by YouGov in June 2025 believe a worker on an average income should be able to pay off the debt for a standard three-year degree within five years. When it comes to the cost of a degree, 58% believe a student should pay $5000 or less per year – less than a third of what arts students now pay.
Recent articles in Education
3 November 2025
It’s official! Accounting tricks denied public schools more than $2b in funding in 2023
A new report by the National School Resourcing Board reveals that public schools lost more than $2 billion in funding in 2023 because of accounting tricks used by state governments under the Commonwealth-State funding agreements operating at the time.
1 November 2025
A collective voice for peace with justice
Earlier this year, the Sydney Peace Foundation separated from the University of Sydney after 27 years.
27 October 2025
Boosting equity and safety for Australia's children
In Australia, 37% of students aged between about 5 or 6 and 18 years go to private schools which charge fees – but while those schools are private, they are not run for profit.
25 October 2025
Indonesia’s security depends on educating the minds behind its machines
Indonesia is investing in its regional influence — purchasing new fighters, drones, frigates and billions in defence contracts — while allowing its classrooms to deteriorate.
24 October 2025
Australia has amongst the highest teacher shortages in the OECD
A new OECD report reveals that Australia’s education system is facing a diabolical staffing crisis. Since 2018, teacher shortages have soared leaving Australia among the worst-performing nations in the OECD.
24 October 2025
Managing bullying or manufacturing shame? How neoliberal bureaucracy gets it wrong – again
When Education Minister Jason Clare announced the Anti-Bullying Rapid Review in early 2025, he spoke with the gravity such tragedies demand.
23 October 2025
Islamophobia in Australian schools: What the Special Envoy’s report means for education
Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, recently released his landmark report: A National Response to Islamophobia: A Strategic Framework for Inclusion, Safety and Prosperity.
18 October 2025
Counting what doesn’t count: How consultants are hollowing out the university
When Western Sydney University announced it would shed hundreds of staff, its vice-chancellor described the decision as part of a “necessary transformation.
13 October 2025
Lack of China capability can only do harm to society: Our current situation is a disgrace
In March 2023, the Australian Academy of the Humanities sounded the alarm on the decline in our understanding and knowledge of China through a report on “Australia’s China Knowledge Capability”.
13 October 2025
Fifty years of political economics at Sydney University – what has it meant for us?
Earlier this year The Journal of Australian Political Economy published a special issue devoted to recollections and implications of 50 years of Political Economy courses at Sydney University.
11 October 2025
Almost no Australians study Chinese any more. That’s a problem
Fewer than five Australians per year are graduating from honours programs in Chinese studies with language, raising fears the nation is losing the expertise needed to navigate its most complex foreign relationship.
10 October 2025
Campus leaders mobilise to battle Trump’s anti-education ‘Compact’ tooth and nail
“Workers, students, campus community members across this great country are coming together to fight for a higher education system that actually works for all – one that is affordable, strengthens freedom and democracy, and stands up to its public mission.”
Catch up on other sections
More from Education
27 September 2025
Productivity and innovation needs business' own investment in skills
15 September 2025
School funding: Time to break the mould and build a new model
