Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Strengthening Quality and Integrity in Vocational Education and Training No. 1) Bill 2024. Vocational education and training is an integral part of the Australian workforce. Apprenticeships and traineeships are fuelling our economy to meet changing demands.

I'm pleased to see that the government is taking action to reform and strengthen the quality and integrity of the VET sector. I understand that a review was conducted in January 2018, known as the Braithwaite review of the NVETR Act, with recommendations for change. The review also revealed that students have shared their VET experience as being disappointing and demoralising, with students accumulating significant debt for courses that, ultimately, they did not complete. More concerningly, the report also revealed experiences of abuse and exploitation. This should have set off alarm bells for the government to consider taking immediate action to address the systemic issues. It has been six years since the review, and we now have a bill to adopt some of the recommended changes. I have to ask the government why it took so long.

Fowler has a significant number of students engaging in the VET sector, ranging from hospitality and early childhood to aged care. Approximately 12 per cent of employed people aged 15 and over are currently working in the trade or technician sector. With manufacturing and construction being the largest employers in Fowler, offering our people opportunities to develop skills in these industries is critical. I am committed to ensuring that the government continue to propose measures that not only support the VET sector but also uplift and create better access and opportunity for those engaging in the sector.

I have been vocal about supporting the VET sector in the past year, such as by proposing the reversal of indexation on the trade support loans, which were later rebranded as Australian apprenticeship support loans, back to the 2022 rate of 3.9 per cent. Although it was known as an interest-free loan, it was hard to reconcile this belief when loans were still indexed according to CPI. My plea to the government for this relief was to give more students hope to enter the trades industry without the fear of crippling debt. I am still of the view that the government must address this issue of indexation at a time of cost-of-living crisis for my constituents in Fowler and across Western Sydney. I've spoken often in this House of the struggles and pains of my constituents in Fowler. Due to the low-income status of many families, they are struggling to put food on the table while coming to terms with the soaring costs of electricity, fuel, rent, food and insurance, as well as the general cost of living.

For a sector that is the backbone of the Australian workforce and the future of many young hopefuls, I am disappointed it has taken us this long to holistically review the flaws of the VET sector. The proposed bill is a move by the government to crack down on dodgy registered training organisations, who are engaging in borderline criminal behaviour within the VET sector. I note that the bill makes several amendments to improve the integrity of the vocational education sector and to ensure that only those registered training organisations that demonstrate a genuine commitment to training and education are able to operate. ASQA is to be provided with more discretion in managing and deciding on RTO applications. I welcome these efforts to clean up the VET sector. However, it is important that the government also has mechanisms in place to prevent the misuse of power. Will there be internal guidelines for ASQA to ensure that regulatory duties are in line?

While we focus on the unscrupulous registered training organisations, we also need to ensure that we are relieving the burden on those RTOs that are doing the right thing—that they are not overburdened in dealing with regulations that are constantly changing. Many RTOs that I have spoken to find it difficult to continuously keep up to date with the course and skill set requirements, and there is immense pressure on trainers, assessors and people working in the sector to constantly retrain, which adds burden, cost and time to the sector.

I know that the government invested $37.8 million to support the establishment of the integrity unit within ASQA to upgrade systems and create a tip-off line for the misconduct of RTOs. This is not an insignificant sum. While it is important that systems are constantly up to date, I would like to know whether the funding was also utilised to improve the delivery of VET courses and to support students.

VET is an essential pathway to upskill and re-skill Australia's workforce. As the aged-care and disability-care sector continues to grow, and as we address the shortages in the education sector and in others, we know that VET will play an important role in preparing our workforce to meet these challenges.

I agree that we need regulators in the field of VET that demonstrate a genuine commitment to providing quality education and training. I would like to highlight that as legislators we need to ensure we get the balance right. What are the key benchmarks we are categorising for quality and are we providing too many hurdles to the VET providers that are doing the right thing?

I support the amendment to the bill that expands and strengthens the offence and civil penalty provisions regarding false and misleading representations made by an RTO, offering greater protection for students. This is even more important when the students, like many of those in my community of Fowler, are from a migrant or refugee background and are more vulnerable to being exploited by false and misleading claims made by RTOs. I think we can all agree this is an important provision to include in the legislation. I also agree with the amendment that automatically lapses an RTO's registration when it does not deliver training for a period of 12 consecutive months, as there is also the ability for the RTO to request an extension and provide an explanation as to the reason.

I note that this amendment will be the first piece of legislation among others which are set to reform and elevate the status of VET and TAFE in Australia. I ask the government to ensure that there is constructive consultation with the sector to ensure the experiences of those at the coalface are considered in providing legislation to best meet the needs of both RTOs and students. I acknowledge that this is a step forward. However, there are many things amiss with the VET sector beyond regulatory issues. Vocational education and training is an essential element we must get right to prepare Australia's workforce to drive our economy forward.

In 2023, I conducted a consultation with community stakeholders about the VET sector to understand the key issues that affect students and providers. The emerging theme from the consultation was that there is a lack of support for students and VET teachers due to the constant changes to VET courses as well as workforce shortages. Following my community consultation, I now call on the government to take the following action as the next tranche of reform.

Firstly, implement measures to maintain the course and skill-set requirements for at least three years. A stakeholder has shared that they are dissatisfied that government bodies are constantly changing the course and skill-set requirements. This adds immense pressure to keep up and streamline compliance. In particular, a stakeholder has said the following: 'What has changed in hospitality so much that there is a constant need to send VET teachers to training annually?' It was also shared that VET teachers are often sent to training for at least five to 15 days, which takes them away from school and their ability to connect with their students. Accordingly, students feel like they are not adequately supported whilst undertaking their VET courses.

Secondly, provide VET teachers with wider support within schools. VET teachers have shared with me the struggles of having to constantly upskill and attend training, as I have mentioned above. They are also met with administrative burdens to upload evidence for each student to be assessed. This may also produce burnout and potentially affect how they deliver the courses to students. VET teachers feel like they are being pulled in multiple directions and cannot keep up. While I can appreciate that this may be a matter for state governments to consider, it would be worthwhile to explore conversations about allocating funding to give VET teachers support with student engagement.

Thirdly, implement measures to support students engaging in the VET sector. The Braithwaite review has described some students' VET journeys as being 'demoralising'. I ask the government to consult and engage with providers so that the delivery of VET courses can be enhanced and made meaningful to reduce the number of students discontinuing their courses. Students need more confidence from the government that they can pursue VET courses. In conclusion, I commend the bill to the House.

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