A video of university students in the 1970s has outraged young Australians, with many claiming the footage showed life was much more affordable for boomers.
The clip, which ABC News shared on TikTok on Monday, contained an excerpt from the national broadcaster’s current affairs program, which ran in the late 1960s and 1970s.
The video showed college students in 1977 breaking down their expenses and being asked about their government allowances.
University students received a grant through the Labor government’s Tertiary Education Assistance Scheme.
The scheme was introduced in 1974 when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam not only abolished university fees but also allowed full-time students to receive a living allowance.
One student (pictured) explained that she received $43 a week – which amounts to $284.74 today – and that she spends $14 of that on rent.
One student told the program she received a stipend of $43 per week – which, adjusted for inflation, equates to $284.74 in 2024.
She then broke down her expenses: “$14 goes to rent, I pay $8 for food, and then there’s gas, electricity, phone bills and transportation costs, food – pretty much when I’m in college.”
The student explained that she would have between $8 and $10 left over after her “absolutely necessary” expenses.
She added that the remaining money would be spent on stationery and books, which she described as her “major expenses.”
Another said students were against the government introducing a higher education loan scheme.
“We are absolutely opposed to any government-run loan scheme designed to replace or supplement grants,” she said.
Another student explained that he was funded by the Aboriginal Tertiary Scholarship Scheme and without this funding he would not have been able to pay for his education.
The young man said he would be “completely at the mercy of the Ministry of Education if they decide to pay the costs.”
“I mean, I couldn’t do it myself,” he said.
The government scheme divided students into three categories, which determined their allowance amount.
Dependent students living at home would receive a maximum stipend of $24 per week, dependent students away from home would receive a maximum of $38 per week, and independent students would receive a maximum of $43 per week.
The video received a huge response on social media, with many young Aussies in the 1970s baffled by its affordability and cost of living.
“I’m sorry she said $14 for rent and then $8 for food… Can we please bring this back,” someone commented.
“Amazing to see how far our quality of life has fallen,” a second person wrote, while another claimed that “life was easy back then.”
“Sad really, Australia used to be such a good place to live but now our younger generations are doomed before they even start,” said a fourth.
Another student explained that he was on a scholarship and would be “completely at the mercy of the Ministry of Education” if the government decided to reintroduce university fees or student loans.
Another person used the RBA inflation calculator and found that the student’s $14 weekly rent in 1977 would equal $92.71 in 2024.
The average weekly rent in Australia is currently $630, while this figure is much higher in cities like Sydney where costs can be as much as $1,053.56.
Social media users said it was virtually impossible to find a rental property for $92 a week, with one person explaining that she spends 70 percent of her income on rent alone.
‘Their rent is 32 percent of their income and with my GOOD DEAL I pay 70 percent of my income to rent. If I literally move somewhere else, I pay at least 80 percent of my income to rent. This is unacceptable,” they wrote.
Others noted that the students were baby boomers, and condemned the generation for criticizing millennials and Gen Z Aussies who are struggling to make ends meet.
“So they were now much better off than us… and these boomers have the audacity to criticize us when 60 percent of our wages go to one rent alone!” one person wrote.
“Their generation will keep telling us that they’ve had it just as hard, if not harder, and that we’re just lazy,” another commented.
“The irony of people getting paid to study and telling the new generations they have to pay for HECS,” said a third.
A fourth person added: “These are the same people telling us to stop eating avocado toast and Netflix so we can buy real estate.”
