Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the amendments be agreed to.

I want to thank all members and senators who contributed to the debate on this important bill. I welcome the opposition's support for the bill and for the Albanese government's work to strengthen integrity and quality in vocational education and training, or VET.

The Albanese government understands that a trustworthy and high-performing VET sector is essential to not only create meaningful and secure career opportunities but also deliver the skills our economy needs. The measures in this bill, the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Strengthening Quality and Integrity in Vocational Education and Training No. 1) Bill 2024, will provide the regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority or ASQA, with better tools to protect students and tackle the minority of providers that are non-genuine or who engage in unscrupulous conduct. Non-genuine and unscrupulous providers tarnish the reputation of the sector, and the bill reinforces that there is no place for them in the VET sector.

The minor amendments proposed are consistent with the intended operation of the bill. In many cases they are simple restatements of requirements already in the proposed legislation. As a result, the government accepts the amendments proposed. The amendments relate to the measures empowering the minister, with the agreement of state and territory skills ministers, to determine time-limited periods where ASQA is not required to, or must not, process or accept initial applications for registration as a registered training organisation. The amendments clarified to the sector that any ministerial determination under this measure will operate for a maximum of 12 months. In her second reading speech, the member for Farrer had originally proposed a 90-day maximum for any determination under this measure. This period, as far as the government is concerned, was far too short. It would not have adequately addressed potential risks to students and the health of the VET sector. The opposition has now changed course to propose a 12-month maximum—and I thank them for that—which is consistent with the maximum period intended by the government. The amendments also detail that ASQA will publish a notice on its website as soon as practicable after a determination is registered, as was intended. They also note the existing requirements for relevant instruments and the explanatory statements to be tabled in the parliament in accordance with the Legislation Act 2003.

Apart from these minor amendments, the other important measures in the bill to tackle non-genuine and unscrupulous providers remain unchanged. These include automatic lapsing of an RTO's registration where it's been dormant for 12 months, the requirement for new RTOs to demonstrate quality over two years before expanding their course offerings, and increasing penalties fivefold where RTOs engage in egregious conduct in breach of the act.

The bill builds on the government's reform agenda in the VET sector, which includes negotiating a landmark $30 billion, five-year National Skills Agreement, the first of its kind in more than a decade, and delivering over 355,000 fee-free TAFE places in 2023. It marks the next step in our efforts to strengthen integrity and quality in VET, following our $37.8 million investment to increase ASQA's capacity to detect and address unacceptable behaviour by RTOs and our reforms to strengthen the fit and proper persons requirements to apply increased scrutiny on those in management positions within RTOs. The bill provides ASQA with better powers to remove non-genuine and unscrupulous providers who undermine integrity and trust in VET. As a result, it will better support and protect students, industry and the vast majority of RTOs—those genuine providers doing the right thing.

Once again, I want to thank all members and senators for their engagement on this bill.

Question agreed to.