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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 2524 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

to be involved in the discussions that are to come. I firmly believe that it is only through such an approach that we will eventually reach a position that is broadly acceptable and capable of long-term sustainability.

Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell ) adjourned.

Mr Stefaniak , by leave, presented the bill and its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education) (12.33): I move:

I am presenting this bill as a matter of some urgency. It will prevent unauthorised persons from advertising courses conferring higher education awards that have not been accredited by a proper authority, that is, by the ACT Accreditation and Registration Council. Higher education courses provided by non-university providers in the ACT are normally accredited by the ACT Accreditation and Registration Council, established under the Vocational Education and Training Act 1995. However, Mr Speaker, there is currently no legislation requiring this to happen. The false advertising of vocational education and training courses is prohibited, but not false advertising referring to higher education courses. This provides a loophole that does not exist in other eastern seaboard jurisdictions. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania all have legislation prohibiting the advertising or offering of unaccredited courses purporting to lead to a higher education award. We have no similar legislation in the ACT.

Mr Speaker, the provisions in this bill will close this loophole. We do not want in the ACT something like Greenwich University, which is an unauthorised institution operating from Norfolk Island, and which offers, for a fee, degrees and doctorates all around the world by distance education. None of these degrees or doctorates are officially accredited or recognised.

At present there is no separate higher education legislation in the ACT, and the Vocational Education and Training Act 1995 makes only limited reference to the regulation of higher education courses in the ACT. However, since 1995 the number of higher education courses provided by non-university providers in the ACT has increased significantly. It has become apparent that the provisions of the Vocational Education and Training Act 2000 do not adequately cover higher education provision. At present higher education regulation is incorporated in the Vocational Education and Training Act 2000 but in a general rather than a specific way.

The deficiencies in higher education regulation will be addressed in the next 12 months in the context of achieving national consistency in vocational education and training and in higher education. Following national consultation on approaches to achieving regulatory consistency, I will propose further legislation to ensure that nationally consistent higher education regulation has an adequate legislative basis in the ACT. In

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