My students are crying about rent and fees, and Labor’s budget abandons them

When I became an academic, I never thought I’d be handing out food vouchers. But yet, in 2023, we increasingly have to — or at least triage for student services.

My university has a small stash of vouchers for such emergencies, but the mounting requests and worsening distress of students — particularly in the humanities — make it harder to face each day. Students are facing massive cost-of-living pressures, but also have spiralling HECS debts that refuse to diminish. As a result, many students will be delayed or stopped from having kids and a mortgage.

I don’t want to be spending time with students crying about their rent and the cost of their courses; I want to be discussing ideas and plans for their future.