Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bernardi for his question and for providing me with some notice of it. I also acknowledge his keen interest in small business, particularly in relation to skills training.

Senator Bernardi, you would be aware that the Morrison government is committed to a strong vocational education and training sector that delivers quality training to students. It is critical that the VET sector is properly regulated so that training providers are delivering training that is appropriate. I want every VET student to have confidence that, when they make a choice to do vocational training, their training provider will deliver the quality training they need to complete their apprenticeship or traineeship and to be job ready. Quality vocational training, as you understand, is critical to our economy, and a VET qualification, again as you would be aware, is just as relevant and just as valuable as a university degree.

As the VET regulator, ASQA is responsible for maintaining this quality and, where warranted under the legislation, taking regulatory action. It is critical that our regulator follows standard regulatory procedures so that training providers are afforded the principles of natural justice and that decisions are supported by sound evidence. Both of the major VET reviews commissioned by the government—the Joyce review and the Braithwaite review—also made it clear that, to improve the quality of training, ASQA requires reform. This includes ASQA having a much stronger guidance and educative role and greater levels of transparency, as you have referred to, around ASQA decision-making. I'm working with the states and territories and stakeholders to implement these recommendations to reform ASQA as a top priority.