Bill
National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2020
passed, as at 2020-09-03. Education, Skills and Employment portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Education, Skills and Employment
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2020-02-13
- second reading — 2020-02-13
- second reading — 2020-05-12
- second reading — 2020-06-15
- second reading — 2020-06-16
- second reading — 2020-06-17
- second reading — 2020-06-17
- third reading — 2020-06-17
- introduced — 2020-06-17
- second reading — 2020-06-17
- second reading — 2020-08-24
- second reading — 2020-08-24
- committee — 2020-08-24
- third reading — 2020-08-24
- passed — 2020-08-24
- royal assent — 2020-09-03
Divisions
- The majority voted against an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debates/?id=2020-02-13.11.1) to the usual second reading, which is "*that the bill be read a [second time](https://www.peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/making-a-law-in-the-australian-parliament/)*" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). ### Amendment text > *That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:* > > *"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House notes that the Government:* > > *(1) has failed to fix the problems in the vocational training sector; and* > > *(2) instead has:* > >> *(a) cut TAFE and training by over $3 billion;* >> >> *(b) presided over simultaneous crises of youth unemployment and skills shortages;* >> >> *(c) failed business, which is struggling to fill the skilled roles they have on offer; and* >> >> *(d) also failed young people desperate for work, who are unable to fill those positions because they have missed out on opportunities for training".* — 2020-02-13, House of Representatives: negative, ayes 66, noes 75
- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debate/?id=2020-06-16.119.1): > *That the debate be adjourned and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour this day.* — 2020-06-16, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 60, noes 48
- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debate/?id=2020-06-17.7.14) to keep the original motion unchanged. In parliamentary jargon, they voted "*that the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the question.*" The original motion is "*That this bill be now read a [second time](https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/making-a-law-in-the-australian-parliament/).*" To read a bill for a second time is the same as agreeing with the main idea of the bill. Cooper MP [Ged Kearney](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/cooper/ged_kearney) (Labor) to change the original motion in the following way: > *That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:* > > *"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House notes that:* > > *(1) the Government has damaged Australia's world-class vocational training system by:* > >> *(a) cutting funding for vocational education and TAFE by over $3 billion;* >> >> *(b) presiding over simultaneous crises of skills shortages and youth unemployment; and* >> >> *(c) failing to tackle falling completion rates, with more people dropping out of vocational training courses than finishing them; and* > > *(2) this bill fails to deliver the reform needed to fix problems in the vocational training sector".* — 2020-06-17, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 60, noes 46
- The same number of senators voted for and against the [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2020-08-24.149.1), which means it didn't achieve majority and so failed. The amendment was introduced by WA Senator Louise Pratt (Labor), who [explained that](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2020-08-24.149.1): > *The purpose of our amendment is to ensure that there is TAFE, union and employer sector representation on [ASQA](https://www.asqa.gov.au/about)'s advisory council. Labor very much believes—and we look for the chamber's support on this issue—that it is critical that there is a public provider at the table and that the legislation before us today should mandate that this is so. Given the important role this council will have in providing strategic advice about regulatory matters, it is indeed an imperative that the council represents a cross-section of the sector while also providing essential expertise.* ### Amendment text > *(1) Schedule 1, item 41, page 15 (after line 24), after section 177, insert:* > > *177A Membership—TAFE sector and union representatives* > > *The membership of the Advisory Council must include representatives of the following:* > > *(a) public technical and further education (TAFE) sector;* > > *(b) trade unions.* — 2020-08-24, Senate: negative, ayes 24, noes 24
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2020-02-13.
This bill would change how Australia's vocational education and training regulator is governed.
It would replace the current leadership of a chief commissioner and two commissioners with a single full-time regulator appointed by the Governor-General.
The new regulator would serve a term of up to five years and would be ineligible if they have held an executive role at a registered training organisation in the two years before appointment.
- Create a single independent statutory office holder to lead the National VET Regulator.
- Establish a new advisory council with up to nine part-time members to provide expert advice to the regulator.
- Improve information sharing with the National Centre for Vocational Education Research to support policy development and funding allocation.
- Prohibit people who have been an executive officer of a registered training organisation in the previous two years from becoming the National VET Regulator.
The National VET Regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority, registered training organisations, and vocational education and training sector stakeholders.
Sources
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