By Harry Bass

With the price of food, fuel and other essential items rocketing into the stratosphere local law student Barry Hass (20) has found even educational material is not immune. The self-confessed wannabe lawyer and recreational drinker had long written off prescribed reading material as the proverbial cherry on top of the overpriced pie that is the Australian law degree. Barry was seemingly content with dying on this hill for the remainder of his degree, that was until he was forced to face down LLB202 in his third year of studying a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Capitalist Delinquency (Honours).

With an incomprehensibly long list of reading material and the understanding that mere puff is something that happens when you gently blow on a vape Barry knew he’d need both textbooks if he had any hope of scraping that elusive 4. “I just can’t fathom it!” he told our Law library correspondent today. “To buy them second hand is more expensive than buying them new. How am I supposed to save for a house I’ll never afford, let alone eat this week?”

“Also, how can someone turn around and charge more for a textbook than what they paid for it? That isn’t even how inflation works, it doesn’t make economic sense!” Our reporter, pretending to understand business jargon, and nodded reassuringly. “I don’t really have a choice though” he said in a somber tone. “I need that 5th edition textbook, plus the cases and commentary, if I want to survive Contracts apparently. I used to download textbooks chapter by chapter as PDF’s or wait until one of the digital copies were not in use at 1am but I have more self-respect now.”

With a sigh Barry resigned himself to the fact that he would have to get off his financial high horse and join the rat race of students paying exorbitant portions of their wages on further study material.

“Guess I’m eating the free Gerbino’s left-overs this week.”

Our reporter couldn’t kick a man when he was down, so he let him have that one.