Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Senator Ronaldson, representing the Minister for Industry. Will the minister inform the Senate how the government, in partnership with the Australian Skills Quality Authority, is ensuring good quality training outcomes in Australia while at the same time cutting red tape for high-performing registered training organisations?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bernardi for this very important question.

Businesses across Australia are looking for employees with the higher skills needed to meet industry's changing needs in a competitive world. Our nation's most valuable asset going forward will be access to a skilled and productive workforce—a jobs-ready workforce with the skills necessary to take advantage of new opportunities will be crucial to our ongoing economic development. That is why the government is determined to press ahead with its industry focused reforms in the skills and training sector.

Part and parcel of the government's plans for greater productivity and competitiveness is taking action to ensure that Australia's vocational education and training system is focused squarely on outcomes, not just training for training's sake. Accordingly, the government's VET reform package will give industry a greater say in the type of training that is delivered so that training is better linked to job outcomes. Aside from a renewed focus on quality we have taken action to reduce the regulatory burden and cost pressures on training providers. We want providers to be able to focus on their core business of training, not on excessive regulatory compliance and paperwork.

From 1 July 2014, providers no longer have to apply and pay a fee to the training regulator to update their scope of registration for a new qualification deemed equivalent to one already on scope. The Australian Skills Quality Authority has already removed the requirement for all existing providers to be subject to a financial viability assessment as part of their re-registration process.

The Abbott government wants ASQA to be a regulator, not a bookkeeper. Providers will now be rewarded for upholding the standards as part of a move towards an earned autonomous regulatory system— (Time expired)

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Would the minister be kind enough to advise the Senate how the government and the Australian Skills Quality Authority are addressing the issue of training brokers who make misleading representations?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's right! How are you going to stop the rorts?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bernardi again, and he who squeaks the loudest over there did absolutely nothing when he had the opportunity to do so.

This government is deeply concerned about reports of unscrupulous behaviour by brokers, such as students being lured into expensive, unsuitable training courses. That is why we are beefing up the ability of ASQA to maintain the highest standards in the skills and training sector.

ASQA will ensure that new national provider standards, recently signed into law, will be upheld. We have committed more than $68 million to bolster ASQA's capacity to implement the new standards and provide a risk based approach to regulation—the ability to crack down on serious breaches and to ensure that high-quality training providers have the autonomy to spend more time skilling the workers of the future. This is in absolutely stark contrast to the previous government, which bequeathed to ASQA a so-called cost-recovery model but which, in effect, left it without the funding required to carry out its functions—another failure. (Time expired)

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Would the minister inform the Senate what powers the Australian Skills Quality Authority has to take action against a registered training organisation that uses a training broker who breaches national vocation regulation standards?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bernardi for another excellent question. ASQA now has the power to take regulatory action against an RTO using a broker. If the broker is breaching the national vocation regulation standards—for example, standards which require RTOs to inform clients about services to be provided and about their rights and obligations—ASQA now has the power to take firm action against RTOs, bringing on compliance under the new standards that we have announced. Any broker will be held to account if they are not following the standards.

The Minister for Industry has raised, potentially, legislative changes in the new year to capture those dodgy brokers not directly associated with an RTO. This will give the regulator even greater power to clean up those on the edge, those who are undermining the great work of the majority in the training system. Make no mistake: if we have to introduce legislation to stamp this out, we will. This unscrupulous behaviour cannot go ahead. The former government sat on its hands again. (Time expired)