Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank those members who spoke on the Higher Education Support Amendment (VET FEE-HELP Student Protection) Bill 2018 and those who came to hear my riveting wrap-up speech! The bill amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to establish a remedy for students who incurred a VET FEE-HELP debt due to the inappropriate conduct of their VET provider or their VET provider's agent. The bill also amends the Ombudsman Act 1976 to allow the VET Student Loans Ombudsman to make recommendations to the secretary of the Department of Education and Training regarding remitting the VET FEE-HELP debts of individual students.

This bill demonstrates a concerted attempt by the government to remove VET FEE-HELP debt incurred by many students through the inappropriate behaviour and rorting of the VET FEE-HELP scheme by some VET providers. The bill allows the secretary to remit the student's debt upon application by the student and at their own initiative. The secretary's power to recredit a student's VET FEE-HELP debt includes debt incurred at any point over the VET FEE-HELP scheme.

In deciding whether to recredit a student's FEE-HELP balance, the secretary must be satisfied that the person did not complete the requirements for the relevant VET unit of study and that it is reasonably likely the VET provider or its agent engaged in inappropriate conduct towards the student, in relation to the unit or course of which the unit formed a part. In response to a request from the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills, I now present an addendum to the explanatory memorandum. It provides further information about why it is appropriate for delegated legislation rather than primary legislation to provide for what constitutes inappropriate conduct by providers.

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