After an intense period of lobbying, the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) has secured amendments to legislation reforming the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth). The amendments secured by ITECA ensure that the Australian Government will no longer be able to impose a permanent ban on the establishment of new Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).
Through the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Strengthening Quality and Integrity in Vocational Education and Training No. 1) Bill 2024, the Australian Government sought to introduce several changes to the regulatory framework governing RTOs. Among the changes proposed was the authority to indefinitely halt the approval of new RTOs.
"There are no sound arguments for the government to possess such a sweeping power, so ITECA successfully lobbied the parliament for safeguards within the legislation," stated Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.
This success is a great example of the impact of ITECA's member-driven advocacy. Working alongside the Opposition, minor parties, and independent parliamentarians in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ITECA successfully lobbied for the inclusion of safeguards in the legislative amendment.
"The final version of the amendments passed by Parliament includes the safeguards ITECA sought. These comprise a twelve-month limit on the Australian Government's ability to ban the creation of new RTOs, along with the requirement to publish why such a ban was considered necessary," Mr Williams said.
