The Australian 10 September 2012
The Australian Skills and Qualifications Authority (ASQA) says the comments by ASQA commissioner Michael Lavarch apparently suggesting the agency is under resourced had been broadcast “out of context” and that ASQA has “been given the resources and powers to take strong action, and we are deploying them.”
But Shadow employment participation minister Sussan Ley says ASAQA is “struggling with resources” and incapable of guaranteeing quality. She said regulatory resources needed to be commensurate with the increasing number of providers, particularly new colleges. But funding new investigators through regulatory fees isn’t the answer and ASQA doesn’t go far enough with its risk-based approach to regulation.
They can’t be all things to all people, and they can’t have a brief that audits the whole world of training. If we are to keep costs down we have to be a bit smarter about how we approach it. Some institutes that are sound and viable and established could be involved in a level of self-accreditation, for example.
A spokesman for training minister Chris Evans said ASQA’s budget has been increased by $50 million over four years.
The vast majority of this funding will go directly to increasing ASQA’s front line regulatory staff focused on risk and compliance. ASQA’s core staffing level will increase from 116 in 2011-12 to 208 in 2012-13, increasing further to 224 staff from 2013-14.