Slow progress on national VET regulator, despite Opposition support

The federal government has the Opposition’s support on the national VET regulator. But getting the states to agree is always tricky. There’s bipartisan support in Canberra for a new national VET regulator, but that hasn’t stopped the federal election throwing a dampener on the new body’s development. Negotiations between the Commonwealth and the states and territories have slowed, because the federal education department – now in caretaker mode – can’t second-guess the intentions of whoever forms the next government. Shadow training minister Mathias Cormann told Campus Review that there was “no difference in position” between Labor and the Coalition over the VET regulator. “I note that Western Australia and Victoria continue running their own systems, because they feel they want to be responsive to their local needs and they’ve got systems of a standard that they don’t want compromised by a national approach,” Cormann said. “But to the extent that all the other states have agreed to refer their relevant powers to the Commonwealth, we are totally supportive of that. I wouldn’t expect any change from us at all.” However Cormann said training providers were worried that state governments could wind down their own administrative arrangements before the national body was ready to take over. “There’s a level of concern that the current government’s been very slow in implementing some of the administration of the new national regulatory framework,” he said. “There is disquiet out there about what might happen if the Commonwealth doesn’t meet the deadline for the national system to be properly established. There have already been some delays.” The manager of DEEWR’s skills quality branch, Maryann Quagliata, last week acknowledged that the start date for the new body had been put back from January to April 2011. But she told the Vocational Education Learning Group (VELG) conference that this had been largely at the behest of the other jurisdictions. Quagliata said negotiations with the states and territories had unearthed worries about the transition timeframe. “Some stakeholders, particularly providers, had concerns about the timing of it, and was it too quick – were we aiming for a deadline that was unachievable?” she told the Sydney conference. Quagliata added that the election had brought negotiations to a standstill on some issues, such as the complicated “mirror jurisdiction” regulatory arrangements. Under a COAG agreement, Victorian and WA-based training providers that operate in multiple states or territories or teach international students will be regulated by the new national body National regulator to override states for international students. But Quagliata said negotiations on exactly how that would be achieved had been postponed until after the election. “I can’t say whether that will mean double registration or triple registration, or if there’s going to be streamlined arrangements,” she told the conference. “What I can say is that the current government’s position is to make this as un-complex as possible for providers.” Quagliata said the states and territories had also raised concerns about audit processes. “Audit operational requirements have not yet been determined, but it has been noted that it was an issue.” She said there had also been concerns around the scope and coverage of the new regulator, along with negotiations about streamlining opportunities. “We have been exploring, for example, how we can streamline for the benefit of dual-sector providers so that they don’t have to deal with more than one regulator. “How can we create relationships with licensing bodies? How can we work with a higher education regulator?” But Quagliata noted that the eventual merger of the VET and higher education regulators – the Commonwealth’s stated intention – hadn’t been agreed to by the states and territories. There’s also some uncertainty around the high profile appointments of new chairs and CEOs to both regulatory bodies, including higher education reviewer Professor Denise Bradley as chair of the higher education regulator Bradley, Schofield to lead implementation of quality agencies. Quagliata stressed that these were all interim appointments. And she said that while there had been agreement that the national VET regulator would charge fees, the fee schedule wouldn’t be known until the regulator was up and running. It will also require endorsement from the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE). However Quagliata stressed that there had been some progress, with the June MCTEE meeting agreeing in principle to the draft inter-governmental agreement underlying the regulator’s establishment. There was also in-principle agreement to the drafting instructions which set out the policy intention for the new body’s founding legislation. MCTEE has also endorsed COAG’s decision that a separate National Standards Council (NSC) will help set the standards to be implemented and enforced by the new regulator. The NSC, which is expected to start operating early next year, will assume the functions of the National Quality Council. Its role will include advising MCTEE on standards for RTOs, registering bodies, data requirements and the accreditation of VET qualifications. Quagliata said the NSC would have a “less bureaucratic structure” than the regulator, operating as a committee of MCTEE. It will comprise between seven and nine expert members appointed by the Commonwealth minister in consultation with the states and territories. Tags: Election 2010