Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to rise and speak to the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2020. I'm passionate about education, whether it's primary school, high school, university, TAFE or on-the-job training. Everyone should have access to the education they need, when they need it. It doesn't matter if you are eight or 80. It doesn't matter whether you live in the city or in the bush. The vocational education sector serves as a vital part of our overall education system.

I'm proud to be a product of the VET system and a former apprentice. I'm on the record saying that not everybody needs an arts degree to get a job. In fact, the most successful and the wealthiest people I know are self-made entrepreneurs. They are people that have come through the VET sector, and have worked hard towards their future. Like me, the Morrison government is committed to ensuring that Australians get the right skills for the workforce of today and tomorrow. This is particularly important in my electorate of Braddon in Tasmania.

During this critical period of unprecedented disruption to the labour market, it is important we prioritise quality improvements for VET, including building confidence in the Australian Skills Quality Authority's role to ensure that the regulation of the sector is reasonable, transparent and effective. To this end, the Morrison government announced a rapid review of ASQA, the bill reflecting initial findings from the rapid review of ASQA's regulatory practices, governance and culture. The findings of the rapid review have been released, and the changes build on recommendations from two independent reviews which called for ASQA to adopt a greater educative approach and reform elements of its regulatory practice. ASQA has already taken steps to ease some of the pressure on the sector that have come about due to the COVID-19 crisis by reducing the regulatory burden on VET providers, ensuring that more flexible approaches to training can be delivered and that students can continue to receive high-quality education and training in an appropriate way.

The government's recent announcement of waiving the ASQA fees and charges and the delay to ASQA's move to full cost recovery will help to maintain cashflow for VET providers and to support students to train. The government believes this improved organisational structure will enable better regulatory decisions, will better facilitate internal review matters and will ultimately allow ASQA to be a fit-for-purpose regulator for VET.

The bill contains a number of provisions to revise the governance structure of ASQA in order to align with best practice regulation, including the provision for the Governor-General to appoint a statutory officeholder, known as the Chief Executive Officer of ASQA, the national vocational education training regulator, on a full-time basis, replacing the current arrangement of a chief commissioner and two other commissioners, which was clunky and ineffective. It also provides that the CEO is the head of the statutory agency for the purposes of the Public Service Act of 1999, and the accountable authority of the listed entity known as ASQA for the purposes of financial law.

A person who is, or has been at any time two years before the appointment is made, an executive officer of a registered training organisation is not eligible for appointment as the National VET Regulator. It provides for the engagement of staff and consultants to support the National VET Regulator. It also provides that the minister may give directions to the National VET Regulator in relation to the performance of the regulator's functions or powers. The direction will be in relation to an individual training provider or VET accredited course. It also establishes an advisory council to provide advice to the National VET Regulator in relation to their function. The advice will be in relation to the regulation of an individual's registered training organisation or the accreditation of a particular course or VET accredited course. This advice will not only be in relation to registration of a particular provider under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000.

It provides that the advisory council is to consist of a chair and up to nine other members with expertise in regulation, communications, delivering training and operating or managing a training provider. It provides that the national advisory council may also advise the national VET regulator on its own initiative or at the request of a minister regulator and that the regulator must have regard to any advice provided by the advisory council. So you can see that this augmentation of ASQA's ability in the CEO gives it greater powers when it comes to governance. The National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2020 amends the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act of 2011 to reform the governance structure of ASQA. The main function of the bill is to replace the current governance structure of a chief commissioner and deputy commissioners with a CEO.

Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Tasmania was, indeed, bucking the trend when it comes to the VET sector. Our state had 5,525 apprentices and trainees commencing work in the preceding 12 months ending 30 June 2019. This was up 9.7 per cent from the same period in the year prior. Importantly, we've also seen an increase in females taking up a trade or apprenticeship, which is great to see, with a 10.4 per cent increase from the year before. Not only are we producing more apprentices; we're producing quality apprentices, teachers, training providers, schools and businesses. This includes four national award winners in the Australian Training Awards held recently. The Australian Training Awards are the highest recognition for excellence in VET training in the country, and this was Tasmania's best result in a decade. In my electorate of Braddon, Debra Guntrip of Devonport was recognised for her commitment through 26TEN and TasTAFE to improving the adult literacy and numeracy skills of employees in Tasmania and to ensuring workforces are equipped to support employees with low literacy. Circular Head Christian School was also recognised with a national School Pathways to VET Award for its commitment to providing quality learning opportunities in years 10 to 12 that are specifically pathway focused for each student.

As we emerge from COVID-19, I know that these positive outcomes will again be the norm. I know that the opportunities will again be ahead of us in the north-west coast, the west coast and King Island, and the great success stories that I've outlined in the last couple of minutes demonstrate why it's so important to ensure that we have continuous improvements to Australia's skills and training sector, including the governance of these bodies. It's a vital part of ensuring that the regulator for VET in Australia is strong, responsive and transparent, particularly in Tasmania, and that is enshrined in this bill. I commend it to the House.

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