If you were born after 1990 or so, you grew up during one of Australia’s great eras of prosperity.

And you were raised to believe that if you followed certain rules, you would eventually be a beneficiary of that prosperity too.

Get an education. Find a good job. Work hard. Save your money. Do all that, and you could expect to be better off than the generation before you.

But while you were growing up, things were changing. 

By the time you got to school, the Howard government’s changes to the way private schools received funding were already having an impact on the public system. If you went to a state school, resources were already being restricted.

John Howard couldn’t get rid of Medicare. But his government introduced powerful financial incentives to push Australians towards private health insurance. 

That has had impacts on universal health care. It has affected how quickly you can be treated and your access to services such as dental and optical.

You graduate high school and follow the expected path to university. Maybe you are the first in your family to go.

You’ve been told your whole life that taking on debt for an education is OK, because that education will land you a good job. The debt will be manageable. Your earning power will increase. University will be your pathway to social mobility.

Except now, an arts degree — one of Australia’s most popular and versatile degrees — can cost around........

© The New Daily