ABC News | 30 April 2015
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says it expects to lay charges against unethical private training colleges after one of its biggest investigations.
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ACCC chairman Rod Sims told the ABC the watchdog’s ongoing investigation into 10 unnamed private training providers around the country was at an advanced stage.
We will end up taking some people to court to really send a signal about what’s acceptable and what’s not, he said.
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We’re really concerned about what looks like, what could be, really appalling behaviour.
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Sims said the ACCC is investigating misleading and unconscionable conduct including vulnerable people being signed up without their knowledge, offered cash and free tablets as inducements, the deliberate targeting of low income people, and companies spruiking outside Centrelink and community centres.
I think we know enough to know there’s serious problems. The targeting of low income people … probably not well suited to doing these sorts of courses, that indicates a widespread problem. That’s pretty bad.
The Federal Government recently changed laws regulating changes to legislation governing private training providers, banning inducements such as free tablets.
Given the potential rorting of taxpayers’ money, given the taking advantage of very vulnerable consumers, Sims says the ACCC has judged this to be a high-profile matter.
We rarely have 10 investigations on anything at once, this is a rare case. We judge it as very important.