The totally off-topic thread

[QF WP]

Had to book flights for my parents tonight. Coming back from CBR on Thursday and the flights they wanted were $385 each one way (not even able to upgrade them as its an all-Y 717). Tried to convince them for an extra $40 they could have Flexi fare. Then I saw it quoted a multi-sector CBR/SYD/BNE for $304 but they were vehemently against it - no matter how much I tried. Oh well, can't call them FF's ðŸ

 

[love_the_life]

At least it's the 717; there's one flight a day that's a Dash8. Bit of a trial to BNE if booked without checking.

 

[medhead]

How to fix hecs? (well it's HELP actually). Put the caps back on, don't give the universities the ability to set whatever fees they want. No caps was always going increase the debt government was carrying, but I just can't get over the stupidity of thinking that deregulation with unis setting the fee was going to reduce the liability of the government.

I'm another with great parents who paid off my debt. I also enjoyed postgraduate scholarships to the value of the HELP debt. Not sure if they still have that system for research based higher degrees. I think my course work counterparts all had help debts. Now I'm on their award and pay scale, and my professional bodies don't charge me $1000s a year to just to maintain the registration required to work.

And the stories from doctors are even worse. $5000 a year to be in their "college" to even be able to work, with low salaries (Maybe $50k to $80k). I hope the TurdRC gets around to those closed shop doctors' unions.

 

[medhead]

At least it's the 717; there's one flight a day that's a Dash8. Bit of a trial to BNE if booked without checking.

Dash8 SYD-WTB wasn't too bad.

 

[Flashback]

How to fix hecs? (well it's HELP actually). Put the caps back on, don't give the universities the ability to set whatever fees they want. No caps was always going increase the debt government was carrying, but I just can't get over the stupidity of thinking that deregulation with unis setting the fee was going to reduce the liability of the government.

I'm another with great parents who paid off my debt. I also enjoyed postgraduate scholarships to the value of the HELP debt. Not sure if they still have that system for research based higher degrees. I think my course work counterparts all had help debts. Now I'm on their award and pay scale, and my professional bodies don't charge me $1000s a year to just to maintain the registration required to work.

And the stories from doctors are even worse. $5000 a year to be in their "college" to even be able to work, with low salaries (Maybe $50k to $80k). I hope the TurdRC gets around to those closed shop doctors' unions.

I'm surprised doctors would be earning such a low amount! That's ridiculous. I know people doing far simpler jobs earning much more (and no, not mining related ).

 

[anat0l]

I'm surprised doctors would be earning such a low amount! That's ridiculous. I know people doing far simpler jobs earning much more (and no, not mining related ).

I think the first "doctors" out of the degree who do their internship and so on have quite low salaries (either low in absolute number and/or relative to the number of hours worked). It's only when you become a full fledged qualified doctor that you start raking it in, or so I have heard.

IT actually can earn a heck of a lot if you are very good. To be a very good IT worker, however, you need to be dynamic, able to change and adapt quickly, and probably have to put up with a lot of managerial and bureaucratic nonsense / ignorance. Oh, and likely be prepared to work non-conventional hours, too. Medical doctors, on the other hand, or so I had been brought up to believe, will always be in demand, so come hell or high water you'll never, ever be out of a job - the trade-off for investing 6-12 years of your life on tough training.

 

[love_the_life]

Dash8 SYD-WTB wasn't too bad.

From CBR to BNE or MEL or ADL for that matter is long, noisy and boring in a Dash 8. I'll pass on it every time, though do fly CBR - SYD in one if it has the best timing for me.

 

[Steady]

Having DPO as my home airport sees all of my travel start and finish in a Dash8 - only a short segment but I like them and the service offered.

 

[OATEK]

When I left school, I applied to Unis and CAEs, and for a Commonwealth Scholarship. The only option in the end was fee paying at a CAE, which neither I or my parents could afford. I went to TAFE instead.

Turn the clock forward 15 years, and the scholarship system was gone and I could get a "free" education (ie someone else paid for it). This was the first de-regulation, where CAEs became Unis, and the beginning of a new approach to Tertiary Ed.

So off to Uni I went at 34yo, and received a humble BA as an external student. After some pushing I went on to a Masters, just as HECS came in so had a debt. I was working full time throughout my Uni studies and the HECS was paid off as I incurred it.

Being a glutton for punishment I went to evening classes at USyd for a Grad Dip. This one was full fee paying up front, but the fees were tax deductible so the government paid about 40%.

The point of this? Well I guess I paid for about half my Uni studies, although of course that is silly as my fees were never enough to cover the cost of my education. Ignoring all the other demands on the Fed Treasury like Health, how do we construct a Tertiary Education system that is sustainable, requires a contribution form the beneficiaries of a University education, and ensure that entry is available not just to those with the appropriate scores, but also to the disadvantaged (or in my case lazy) students who did not meet entry standards straight out of school.

Its not simple, and the current system is not sustainable. We want everyone who so wishes to have the chance of a uni education, and we don't want to burden them with excessive debt. We don't want to penalise the low-paid/part-time participants, we don't want to seize the debt from their estate, we just seem to want it all to happen somehow.

The thing about Commonwealth Scholarships, removed under Dawkins, was that they "rationed" places. We now have an un-rationed system, unregulated fees and a huge unpaid HECS/HELP debt. Don't see a way out of it myself that won't leave many people unhappy.

 

[Bindibuys]

My husband was one of the lucky ones (in the 80's). His work asked him if he was interested in doing a B.Bus degree, all expenses paid. well.... why not.

 

[Pushka]

I was a lucky one too.

 

[get me outta here]

Prof Bruce Chapman was the original architect of HECS, now called Fee Help and was on the radio the other day. The VET fee help to private providers without regulation has been a huge problem. Their fees were unregulated which is very poor policy and has resulted in many 'providers' making a large fortune and students dropping out in over 90% of cases as they should never have been signed up in the first place, with huge debts.

I heard one example of an ex police officer staring up training company with $500 start up money making $150M out of the taxpayer. I'm not sure if he is one of those now 'bankrupt' and having pocketed millions of $$$, but some certainly have.

Other measures apparently to be considered is cutting the pay-back threshold to a lower amount; loans paid back from people's estate when they die; and there was some talk of people going over seas to work not being immune to paybacks as they are / were. These are just a few points I have gleaned recently. .

 

[Pushka]

I know of another VET provider who made a multi out of the tax payer. Not quite as unethical as some, but enough to make me question ethics of the people I knew who benefitted. But then, it dried up overnight with significant consequences. Because when the $ roll in, you make different lifestyle choices assuming the $ will keep on rolling in. Then nix. Karma is like that.

 

[whatmeworry]

Grattan institute proposing to tie hecs repayments to total family income.

The Grattan Institute's research found that nearly half the students with HECS debts and income below the current threshold of $54,000 live in households with disposable income exceeding $80,000 a year, including 30 per cent with disposable incomes over $100,000 a year. Fourteen per cent of people who would start repayments at the Grattan Institutes proposed $42,000 threshold live with their parents.

Mr Norton said that means testing repayments for those earning more than $42,000 a year would capture up to half of those graduates who never repay their debt. The Department of Education estimates that unpaid student loans have left $1.6 billion hole in the 2014-2015 budget, the figure is expected to blow out $13.5 billion over the next four years. Means testing would also allow for those singles experiencing financial hardship to be excluded from the repayments, while taking into account the whole value of a person's household rather than just their personal income.

Push to tie HECS repayments to family income

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Anyone know of a small sized airport security and airline/plane security compliant compass?
Something to help know which direction I as passenger on plane will be coming in from.
Ie I think its either north of MEL airport has an old cemetery or is that south of the 05 / 23 runway?

 

[whatmeworry]

There is a cemetery south of MEL at East Keilor. There is an old section where there are early settlers buried from 1850's.

 

[JessicaTam]

Anyone know of a small sized airport security and airline/plane security compliant compass?
Something to help know which direction I as passenger on plane will be coming in from.
Ie I think its either north of MEL airport has an old cemetery or is that south of the 05 / 23 runway?

Any small air or water filled compass should be fine as far as security is concerned. Not so sure when it comes to accuracy in a metal tube.

Oh, there is a small church just north of MEL, that I think has a cemetery.

Edit: See if your phone has a compass app.

 

[Austman]

Anyone know of a small sized airport security and airline/plane security compliant compass? Something to help know which direction I as passenger on plane will be coming in from. Ie I think its either north of MEL airport has an old cemetery or is that south of the 05 / 23 runway?

The compass function in smart phones? eg the iPhone. It can still be used in airplane mode (I think!).

 

[JessicaTam]

The compass function in smart phones? eg the iPhone. It can still be used in airplane mode (I think!).

You beat me to it. Yes it does still work on an iPhone in flight mode.

 

[love_the_life]

I see a report of an emergency landing by QF9 in Oman with a medical emergency. Sadly the passenger died, from a reported heart attack. Thoughts with those travelling with him and for the other passengers who would have witnessed the event.

Qantas plane makes emergency descent after medical crisis