I'm with Clare on this ... disagree with Kyle ... HECS/HELP and the whole "education industry" is completely out of control and bleeding Australia dry*!
I think that most objective assessments of the quality of those using HECS/HELP versus "self pay" (old-style) would clearly indicate the greater motivation, dedication and perseverance of self-paying students. However, it could be said that cheap employers may well have appreciated the glut of new students willing to compete on wage rather than quality.
(*Its amazing how such a massive con has continued and flourished for so long while the country is heading downhill under its debt burden... at least a reasonable proportion of the national health budget actually goes into health. The tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds the federal government unaccountably sprays out at the "education industry" is obscene, with a tiny proportion actually making a difference in education "outcomes" and most simply lining pockets.
Simple, though sickening, fact: in comparison to the bulk of the "institutions" which have been recipients of training funds, our very own, beloved, CASA would be considered a world leader in accountability, value-for-money and productivity!)
NB: I believe that many people in the WA scene are familiar with Edith Cowan, their modus operandi and the "quality" of some of their taxpayer-funded students.
PS: Its been a long while since self-paying students have been "just the rich" ... they're more often people prepared to actually work to pay for things (like training), rather than expect their entitlements! Easier to train, easier to employ, too, if you ask me.