Page 343 - Week 02 - Thursday, 8 March 2007
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The department needs to comply with ministerially agreed contractual obligations about sourcing advice on VET, particularly those related to funding agreements with the Australian government. The department’s ability to comply with these obligations will not be compromised by this amendment. The recently established ACT Skills Commission will take a whole of government approach to providing skills advice in the ACT. With the establishment of the ACT Skills Commission and the abolition of the authority the department will continue to source VET-specific advice from a VET advisory group, which will engage regularly and in a structured fashion with the broadest possible range of VET stakeholders. The department will continue to seek advice from various equity groups as it has done in the past.
Prior to the 2006-07 budget the department sourced industry advice under contract from the ACT Industry Training Advisory Association. The department will, in the future, purchase the independent research it requires to determine the ACT’s annual VET priorities through standard contractual arrangements. This action will enable the department to purchase advice directly from the source. The department will seek advice from relevant business, industry and professional sources as well as from relevant government agencies through avenues such as skills forums.
The Tertiary Accreditation and Registration Act 2003 establishes the ACT Accreditation and Registration Council, made up of university academics and other professionals. The council, as the body responsible for approving non-university higher education provision and qualifications, currently advises me on higher education matters, including the quality assurance of the sector. The TAR Act currently provides a process for approving applications for university status from local and foreign applicants and a role for the council in providing advice. The current wording obliges me unconditionally to accept an application, convene a panel of expert persons and then ask the council for advice.
This bill introduces amendments to make the process for establishing a university in the ACT more streamlined and rigorous. It will provide more advice to me when considering these applications, allowing more informed decision making. It proposes that the council provide me with threshold advice on the eligibility of an applicant for university status. The council is well placed to provide expert advice on university applications and to continue implementation of the protocols for approving all higher education provision in the ACT.
The bill also introduces amendments to the legislation to include reference to the revised national protocols for higher education approval processes. In July 2006 the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs approved revised national protocols for higher education approval processes. The protocols will take effect no later than 31 December 2007.
Finally, this amendment gives the chair of the Accreditation and Registration Council the authority to approve providers of courses to overseas students in the territory and to make recommendations to the commonwealth as to which providers should be placed on the commonwealth register of institutions and courses for overseas students.
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