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

At the end of 2014 the then minister, Ian Macfarlane, took steps to make sure that we had new standards introduced in relation to vocational education and training providers. I then took steps as the minister, earlier this year, to ban, from 1 April, the provision of laptops and other inducements for sign-ups to the VET FEE-HELP scheme. Further reforms took place on 1 July, and others are scheduled to take place from 1 January, which will dramatically change the incentive arrangements and end the system of up-front payments that the Labor Party put in place. The Labor Party put in place a scheme that was driven entirely on the basis of signing people up to VET FEE-HELP loans. We actually want to have a scheme where providers are paid for progression through the training system. That is in part what the legislation that is before the chamber is doing. In terms of specific action for places like Phoenix, on 12 October this year the department issued a notice of intention to suspend Phoenix as a VET FEE-HELP provider. (Time expired)