Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes the report published by the University of Sydney on 6 February 2015 which found that private education companies had made hundreds of millions of dollars in profit as a result of public subsidies at the same time that public funding for technical and further education was being slashed; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to immediately review the contestability funding model for vocational education and training and prioritise funding for public higher education.

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

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a brief statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave has been granted for one minute.

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

Contrary to the impression given by this motion, the Australian government's support for vocational education and training is at record levels through funding to the states, running our programs and the provision of student loans. Support will soon surpass $6 billion per annum in total funding. Our government's focus on the VET sector is on quality jobs and status. Our aim is to deliver a high-quality training system that is focused on jobs and increasing productivity to create economic prosperity for Australia.

That is why our government has already introduced tougher standards, has established national complaints hotline, has properly funded the national regulator to fix Labor's poor system and is consulting with the sector on further measures to stamp out inappropriate practices and unscrupulous providers. Labor failed to introduce a dedicated compliance regime and failed to implement tougher standards for RTOs to ensure that people were not ripped off as students and taxpayers alike. Labor started contestability when they were in government. They did not put the right frameworks around it. We are determined to make sure that the open market works by having the right frameworks in place.

A division having been called and the bells being rung—

Mr Deputy President, I am seeking leave to withdraw the request for a division.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Question agreed to.