“I Don’t Need Your Help but Wish to Criticise You …”

I don’t need your help but wish to criticise your answer to “Should I Pay My HELP Debt?” Your first response should have been “of course”, but you treated the subject as most recipients do, with a dismissive attitude on how to avoid it. As an older Australian, I need to tell you: it’s a loan and recipients have a responsibility to pay it back. Emphasising that it dies with you also indicates your attitude. Poor form for a self-proclaimed responsible purveyor of advice.

Gordon

Hi Gordon,

Thank you for your criticism.

So your basic premise is this: ‘If you owe a debt, it’s your duty to pay it off as soon as possible.’

However, that is not the premise of the Government.

They have set HECS-HELP up without a commercial interest rate, and with repayments based on your income.

And they’ve discontinued the discount for repaying early.

It’s almost as if they don’t want you to repay early!

These bloody kids get a good deal, right?

Maybe. But, Gordon, remember that as an older Australian you had free university. And you also had affordable housing.

Young people today have neither.

Scott