Limited entry to professions
Just to correct a couple of mis-statements:
Entry to Law is NOT regulated, beyond the number of places available at University. There is one Law qualification in NSW which enrols over 1,600 students each semester and you only need to get a TER of 50, or have a degree (ANY degree), or have worked in a solicitors office or a court for more than x years. It is also much cheaper than a normal degree with fees in the order of $400 per subject (as against $2,000 at Uni).
Only 2-300 people graduate from that course each semester.
I think that is comparable to GA where you can get in if you put up the cash, but only so many 'make it' at the end. Many many more end up moving sideways or opting out before the end of their working lives.
Surgeons and specialists colleges will let you enroll and study, but you earn about $30 per hour as a Registrar in the public hospitals (ie, as an aprentice surgeon). That is compensated for by the fact you work 90+ hours per week.
At the end of it all you will only pass your exams and become a surgeon or Gynie or whatever if the college thinks there is room in the profession.
The Bar is similar - a mate of mine, newly minted as a barrister, was told to have at least $100,000 in the bank before he got up and running.
All worthwhile professions have thir hurdles - some artificial, some natural - and that is what makes the difference between earning $35k in GA and $300k in QF.