Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share 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)