I'm currently completing my Advanced Diploma in Marketing at RMIT in Melbourne. This past semester gone my fees were $979 for the semester,  after a $170 carry-over from the previous year, as I had been overcharged. Therefore, my fees totalled $1,149 - $200 more expensive than last year.

In addition to the increased cost of a TAFE education the discount provided to those students with a healthcare card was abolished. This meant that the students, like myself, that were recognised by the government as needing financial support were no longer able to receive a discount on their TAFE fees.

I have enrolled in this course as an ulterior path to get into university, which is a common path students take. University students have the option of having a commonwealth funded place in order to undertake their studies. However, there is no such system for TAFE students. I believe my education is just as important and valid as those going straight into a university course, and I find it unfair that we should not gain equivalent support that university students have access to.

Although I understand that there is a significant difference in the cost of a university education as opposed to TAFE, I still feel that expecting full-time TAFE students - in my situation studying 22 hours a week - to fund their education as well as their basic lifestyle to be unreasonable.