Economist Gigi Foster has again attacked government policy related to the COVID-19 pandemic and told Q+A that in her opinion, it has played a significant part in rising inflation.

Professor Foster was responding to a question from audience member Bella Mitchell-Sears, who said she could no longer afford to go to university due to the pressures of the rising cost of living.

Ms Mitchell-Sears had previously been on the show three years ago — when she was still in high school — but on Monday night told Q+A she had been forced to drop out of university, stalling her dreams of a teaching career due to the rising cost of living in Australia.

"My bills continue to rise, owning a home just seems like a pipedream and it doesn't look like it will get better."

She then asked the panel: "What would you say to me and other young people in my position, and why must I decide between getting an education and putting food on the table?"

The question saw the University of New South Wales Economic Professor, who was a vocal critic of Morrison government policy and also government policies worldwide during the height of the pandemic, show sympathy to Ms Mitchell-Sears, before she blamed those COVID policies for rising inflation.

"Unfortunately, these are some of the consequences we're seeing from the mismanagement of the economy over the last few years," Professor Foster said.

"We have spent hugely, for little return and on things that were never really predicted to have much of a return."

She then made a suggestion that the media coverage of health events since the height of the pandemic has not been to the same level of reporting.

"There are many other things that happened to us that we don't hear much about in the media that are other consequences of the mismanagements," Professor Foster added.

"There are tens of thousands more Australians we've lost since the middle of 2021 than we should have by historical standards and not all are COVID deaths by any stretch.

"So, what are they?

"Delayed lockdown deaths? Deaths of despair? People who had crowded out cancer screenings now dying of cancer? Vaccine side effects? What is it? This should be front-page news because you don't hear about it.

"These decisions are the ones that she is feeling the consequences of now.

"Those policies created the economic crisis you are now living through and you are paying the price, unfortunately."

Those comments drew a response from journalist Antoinette Lattouf, who said the crisis is the result of several years of government policy.

"I understand the expenditure with COVID but the cost of living and housing affordability, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne … that is the result of government policy for years, negative gearing, housing supply, this isn't because of COVID," Latouff said.

Professor Foster rebutted that and said COVID-19 had "created an inflationary environment".

While Professor Foster's COVID-19 blame game gave one form of insight for Ms Mitchell-Sears, it did little to fix the real problem of completing a university degree and living.

"I can't afford to go to uni, but once I finally somehow do get the money to do it, I then am in $50,000 worth of debt," Ms Mitchell-Sears said.

"I don't know how to escape this.

"I need an arts degree, I want to be a high school teacher.

"There's such a call for teachers, yet it seems impossible for me to achieve that.

An answer to the problem was not forthcoming from Labor MP Josh Burns, who said while he felt for Ms Mitchell-Sears, all he could offer was a review into the cost of tertiary education.

"There is a review into our university system and a key question that we will look at is the affordability of university," Mr Burns said, before he attacked Morrison government policy changes.

"I think it was a retrograde step to make humanities degrees more expensive. I certainly don't support that."

Deputy leader of the Nationals Perin Davey suggested an option would be to move to regional Australia.

"If you want to be a secondary teacher, one policy that we fought for in the last parliament … and thankfully, credit where it's due, Labor brought it back, was to waive HECS debts for important industries," Ms Davey said.

"If you get your degree and you commit to a four-year stint in the regions, your HECS debt is waived, consider that as an option for the future."

Lineker was no Jeremy Clarkson

While cost of living was one theme, the other key one was censorship and opinion.

On a night when the BBC reinstated former football star and pundit Gary Lineker after his suspension for comments he made about British government policy, and subsequent staff walkouts, the panel got heated over Lineker's role and the rewriting of literary works including those of children's author Roald Dahl.

British musician and activist Billy Bragg said Lineker had been "treated unfairly" by the BBC.

"What's been amazing is the solidarity of the sports presenters, his co-presenters, the people who do the interviews, the commentators on the games," Bragg told Q+A.

"Lineker, were he a politician, perhaps, that would be a different matter, he's not working in the newsroom, but in sport.

"I happen to know that he has housed refugees. So he feels very strongly about this."

Ms Davey, however, was of the opinion that Lineker, on millions from the UK's public broadcaster, should have been more careful when espousing his views.

"Gary Lineker was on the public purse," she said.

"The equivalent of Australian $2.4 million from the BBC, paid to Gary Lineker, and the BBC has an impartiality clause in their policy.

"If you are on the public purse, and you've signed a contract saying you will abide by the social media rules, you need to think about those before you make a statement."

Dahl drama

While Lineker was one topic, the changing of words in Roald Dahl books, words like "fat" and "crazy", came up.

Bragg said he had changed lyrics of his songs over time to suit the changing environment.

"There's no reason we shouldn't remain relevant," Bragg said.

"Whether you are changing the lyric or changing the gender or just doing Shakespeare in modern clothes, to make it relevant, to connect with the audience you're talking to, that's the way I work."

The commentary then kicked off when Professor Foster was asked for her opinion.

"I think that Billy should be free to change the lyrics of his songs, they're his," she said.

"I object to changing our own artists who have already given their stories.

"Changing the stories, like Roald Dahl for a number of reasons … You are taking away his voice.

"That is censorship."

Asked by host Stan Grant if she thought changing Dahl's words was artistic censorship, Professor Foster responded in the affirmative.

Bragg disagreed and felt it was not OK for a book to call someone fat, and neither did Latouff.

"I had young children who read Roald Dahl and then in the schoolyard they are calling people fat and crazy, the biases are entrenched," Latouff said.

"The estate stipulates they can do it to sell books, they want to be relevant.

"The decision to take out some of the language, [means] we're not demonising someone based on equating fat with laziness and uselessness."

Professor Foster then accused Latouff of dividing people, before Ms Davey weighed in and said parents needed to educate their kids.

"Re-editing books, we don't want that, because that might offend.

Watch the full episode of Q+A on iview.