Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ruston for the very important question she asks, because it has concerned me since taking on this portfolio late in December to see the extent to which there is a problem operating around Australia of people taking advantage of the training system. I have looked back over what has occurred in recent years as to what opened up these problems with the training system of dodgy providers who are targeting vulnerable Australians and, frankly, ripping off the Australian taxpayer in the process. It would seem that that problem has emerged and developed because of reforms implemented by the previous government. These reforms were perhaps with the best of intentions but, like so many other programs of the previous government, they were poorly delivered.

What we had was the opening up of access to the VET FEE-HELP scheme, HECS for the vocational education and training sector. The previous government removed the link to the credit transfer arrangement with universities, thereby meaning that all areas of diplomas and advanced diplomas that were accredited would be available for VET FEE-HELP. The problem was that they put inadequate safeguards and poor regulation around that. It is reminiscent, frankly, of the way the home insulation or schools halls schemes were run when you look at the waste of millions and millions of dollars and the targeting of thousands of vulnerable Australians in this process. It is a mess that we have had to act now to clean up to restore integrity to Australia's training system, to put in place reforms that protect vulnerable Australians and to ensure that taxpayers will not be saddled with significant debt into the future that is likely never to be repaid. It is a salutary lesson that those opposite, even when they have the best of intentions, are completely incapable of administering them and putting the right framework around them. (Time expired)