It is not okay that Education and Healthcare are too expensive for a lot of people. What more important things could there be for your tax dollars to be spent on? Every person who is unfortunate enough to get sick or have an accident, should have healthcare provided to them.

Health & education should be free to all?

I think that some things should be earned and it is amazing to me how many people with low incomes do without so they can send their child to private school and pay the fee - something about bad teachers in the public sector, not all, but many. I would prefer to see higher subsidies for health, but many of the wealthy countries you talk of work out how much tax their countrymen have to pay and do not allow tax deductions as is done here in Australia.

I think that less funding should be given to private schools and hospitals should have adequate equipment and hospital beds especially when COVID-19 is still an issue. And having a degree can't guarantee you a job. I wish that the government would offer free courses for people who are struggling to get jobs.

No definitely not

NO......NEVER

I benefitted from Gough Whitlam's policy that allowed me to obtain a free university education while also receiving TEAS (tertiary assistance scheme) because I was living away from home. Unfortunately, that very policy came at a huge cost to the Australian enconomy. Education is not being ignored. We have learned from previous experience. As for health -we are far better off than wealthy America, where they don't have access to decent healthcare. My husband went through the public health system when he had cancer, and although he died, the care he received through the public hospitals was far better than what I have heard others receive in private hospitals. I think the government is handling things well. If there's inequality, it's because of big business and their unfair profiteering.

How long is a piece of string where do you stop the handouts,Australia has the best education & health system but we all need to pay our fair share,population of 25 million cannot sustain all the freebies as we are handing out.

for shure not

no, they should not, they are basic human rights

no

No

No they shouldn't

Ideally it shouldn't but it does. I attended boarding school in Sydney, that same school now charges $20,000 a year for day boys & gets government money as well, that shouldn't be allowed. Covering primary & secondary school there were also 3 child molesters & 2 abusive bullies in the boarding house staff. Some teachers were great, some weren't, same as any school. 3 suicides & dozens of alcoholics & drug users from my year, not a very good school but it & the parents have their images.Edited 24-Apr-21 17:12pm

Healthcare and education should be free to all. In early days education was frowned on because ignorant unlearned people could be exploited by factory owners and land owners. Education equals things a little. Also, legal representation should be free, and i'm not talking about legal aid. There are many injustices because people can't afford to be represented whereas people like Clive Palmer can spend what he considers pocket money going to the Federal Court over frivolous and petty issues.

Education should be free for everyone to plan thier future endeavors training should also be free to those who will work in a trade position for a company

free health is a myth. All free health countries have high income taxes...wise up, there is no free lunch.

The Federal Government wants to spend our Tax Dollars on much more IMPORTANT THINGS like Tax Reductions to the Wealthy so they themselves do not have to pay anywhere near as much TAX. As for the Original Question despite the User Pays Model which this Governments wants to support no matter what the drawbacks the reality is that at the very least a Free Education to Undergraduate Level is good for the country as it increases the Adverage money earned by people in that country and makes the country more likely to sell services tot he world. If your only higest educated people where all plummers how many from around the world would want to come to learn Plumbing? However if they have a range of education and teach this on you get what we now have a Large Overseas Student Population who want to learn here and are willing to pay for it. Of course the Down Side is that those Full Fee Paying Students get Special Treatment and get let off when caught out doing something wrong which that institution then blames on the Local Students. Of course the Down Side with Fee Paying Students is why would anyone pay a University Money and accept not getting a Degree at the other end? Actually why should they have to spend several years at the Uni as they paid for a Degre so they should get it after the money has hit the Universities Payment door. Where else woudl you hand over large amounts of money and not get what you have paid for? As things currently stand what is happening in Australia cheapens Universities and devalues them to such an extent that eventually the Degre will be worthless and no one wants to come and pay the exbortant prices for them.

Deffinately not

All people should be treated as equal not different to what they are or what they have.

The governments salaries & perks take a lot of our taxpayers dollars as well as foreign aid. They say stuff the working class, let them struggle through.

NO WAY WE ARE ALL EQUAL.

No...

I had private education (Catholic) 5 siblings we didn't have much but parents paid school fees primary and college Dad worked hard and so did mum She went back to work cleaning when we could look after ourselves She had 2 trips back to England and saved hard We never went without Roof over our head food on the table Never got tax cuts back then or children benefits and we turned out ok Always had our backs love respect everything you could want They are both gone now and we all miss them

No, I have known people who make studying a career because they don’t know what to do and like the social side of it. I think it better that if graduates prove themselves in society they could claim their fees back from taxes

I think it already is! If you have money you can pretty much get access to anything! If you don’t - then forget it!

The basic problem is that we are putting up with poverty, and also with the fact that the rich are getting richer. The government, I believe, should provide free education for all (including tertiary education), free high quality health care for all, and a universal living wage for all (which would mean that the government would no longer need to pay benefits such as unemployment benefit, DPB, superannuation etc). It's about time big business paid its fair share of the cost of running the country, and that we get rid of poverty.

No, if you're talking about uni fees. It's certainly increased, especially with privatisation of unis but shouldn't be exclusive to only rich people. That's not fair. Governments should cap the fares so they cant get too high or be unreasonable. High school and primary school is not free either at least not here you pay also and if you want better education, smaller classes with more 1 on 1 attention and better facilities, then you pay for it in private schools. We have HECS for uni which is like a study now pay later kind of scheme, but I never used it. I decided to save all my money, not go out or buy lunch or anything while I was at uni except bus tickets. That way I could pay each semester upfront and get the 20% discount which ended up being a huge savings and meant I didn't owe anything when I finished.

Once you go to uni: first year free if you get good marks each successive year after that as long as the marks are good should still be free.

No but it happens, and the private schools can afford better teachers and with our health system which is under funded so if you can afford medical insurance you get what you need to be done with out waiting but you go on a wait list on the public system and you just hope they think what is needed to be done and you wait and wait to get to the top of the list.

Fact of life and always has been. Rich people get benefits but they also pay for them. It was not too many decades ago when the poor were illiterate and never had any education and girls had to wait longer before they became educated. Operations are available in the public system but you just have to go on the wait list which sometimes takes way too long. The system is not right but a lot better here in Aus they other countries including the USA. I just wish our pollies would not copy these countries who have done the wrong things.

First and foremost if someone is in need of an operation it should be performed regardless of the cost, a surgeons job is to heal! As for education in Australia there is the HECs scheme which you need to pay back once you start earning over a particular amount. Not sure what is on offer in other countries but you often hear of stories where the poorest of the poor have managed to attain high degrees. On the flip side people degrees and letters after their name also find it very difficult to find employment as even if they are willing to work in lower position employers are afraid to take them on lest they lose them after a short period if later they find other employment they pay a better wage.At the end of the day we need people with both high and low skills to fill all types of employment depending on what is in demand.

NO!

Never@@@@

everyone should me treated the same so that children from lower income house holds are given every chance in life

I AGREE THEY BOTH DEPEND ON YOU

They both depend on you

The absurdity of the situation is the very politicians that have made university a user pays system are the politicians that went to university when it was free for all. It is also ridiculous that many new "scholarships" were created for obscure or fringe interests and these were granted to the children of politicians and the wealthy end of town. I paid for my degree BUT I believe that tertiary education should also be free.

Shouldn't depend on wealth

Can somebody please explain how education is free? Does that mean teachers are not paid, that books and science equipment are not used? There is no such thing as free education - Somebody has to pay. Those who pay are those that work, since the tax dollar has to cover so much welfare these days and more and more people feel they can get more on the dole than if they work, so there is less and less tax being paid. How do you think that education should be free. I get tired of people saying the rich should pay, the rich are rich because they work harder to earn more. They pay their taxes just like everybody else. Socialism is rampant these days but what happens to them when the rich are no longer rich? Who is going to pay for them then!Edited 24-Apr-21 06:20am

Hell NO !!!!

No I think not is because education & healthcare should not apart of your wealth. To me education and healthcare should be free for everyone to uses not based on wealth.

no no no

I worked full-time whilst at the same time studied full-time and paid off a $30,000 hecs fee. Pisses me off when I hear people wanting a free ride...if you want it bloody work for it!

It's called capitalism - which inherently favors the rich and/or powerful when it comes to getting (best) education and getting (best) health care, etc. - based on how much money you have - unhealthy aspect of capitalism - besides WHAT government (on this planet) wants a healthy and educated voting public - completely bad news for politicians?!

Education & health care should be free and available to all to the age 18, thereafter to be paid for by the recipient at a reduced rate until the age of 30.

Education and health should be available to everyone, regardless of wealth. Everyone receiving the same care or treatment. Having said that, both education and health care needs major improvements.

Free education should be a part of every Democracy and if people want to send their kids to Private school, let them pay the lot. No Government subsidies for Private schools. It's disgusting that they get more funding than Public schools

education should be a basic requirement of any civilised country