Please note: This is an extract from Hansard only. Hansard extracts are reproduced with permission from the Parliament of Tasmania.
TASMANIAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY BILL 2003 (No. 75)
Second Reading
[11.37 a.m.]
Ms WRIEDT (Franklin - Minister for Education - 2R) - Mr Speaker, I move -
That the bill be now read the second time.
Mr Speaker, the establishment of a Tasmanian Qualifications Authority - TQA - is an initiative in Learning Together, the Government's vision for a world-class education and training system in Tasmania. The authority will integrate the functions of three existing bodies: the Tasmanian Secondary Assessment Board - TASSAB - the Tasmanian Accreditation and Recognition Committee - TAReC - and the Universities Registration Council - URC.
The new authority will improve the pathways between senior secondary, vocational education and training - VET - and higher education for all Tasmanians engaged in lifelong learning. It will assist in meeting the goals of Learning Together, particularly the creation of a comprehensive, post-compulsory strategy that will streamline the management of qualifications.
The Tasmanian Qualifications Authority Bill 2003 is the culmination of over two years of planning undertaken by the Department of Education's Office of Post-Compulsory Education and Training - OPCET - and has involved widespread consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.
The deliberations of the TQA Project Steering Committee, comprising stakeholders and members from the three existing bodies, have been instrumental in setting the principles upon which the legislation has been drafted. This included the development and release of a Tasmanian Qualifications Authority Discussion Paper (2001), which informed the extensive and ongoing consultation process.
With the establishment of the authority, Tasmania will become a national leader in the management of senior secondary, vocational education and training, and relevant higher education qualifications and the processes by which assessment, course accreditation and provider registration are managed.
For the first time, a single body is being established that is capable of providing strong leadership in qualifications-related policy and planning across all the major areas of education and training in this State. It will reduce administrative duplication by replacing three existing government bodies with a single streamlined authority, reducing confusion in the management of qualifications-related information.
A central feature of the authority will be the capacity to provide a single qualifications statement that will include Tasmanian Certificate of Education and vocational education and training qualifications. This new comprehensive format will present an inclusive statement of lifelong qualifications. The new authority will be able to make clear the relationship between various types of qualifications so that the needs of individuals, employers and learning institutions are better met.
By bringing coherence to an increasingly complex qualifications environment, assisting in the removal of barriers to gaining further qualifications and applying the principles associated with maintaining quality standards, the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority will directly contribute to the Government's determination to build an education and training system that is world class.
Matters relating to the establishment of the authority, its powers and functions and its investigative and review functions, including accreditation and assessment for senior secondary education and accreditation and registration for higher education, are dealt with in the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority Bill 2003. Accreditation and registration functions applying to vocational education and training will be dealt with under amendments to the Vocational Education and Training Act 1994, which I will introduce in the coming weeks.
Recently a substantial review of the Vocational Education and Training Act 1994 was undertaken in order to meet agreed national VET compliance requirements. Through these consultations, a clear preference was expressed by stakeholders for the authority to be included in this act. The accreditation and provider registration of training organisations are linked to other parts of the Vocational Education and Training Act 1994, particularly in respect of training agreements. With the inclusion of nationally agreed 'model' clauses in a proposed Vocational Education and Training (Combined Model and TQA Provisions) Amendment Bill 2003, the TQA will cover training accreditation and recognition within the amended act.
The TQA bill specifically excludes application to both the University of Tasmania and other university and higher education providers which are established by Commonwealth or State legislation. Such universities are responsible, under legislation, for the accreditation and certification of their own programs and the issuing of higher education qualifications, however it will cover those providers of higher education qualifications currently registered by the URC.
Part 2 of the bill specifies a nine-member authority, with membership to be determined by a range of knowledge and skills that can be brought to use in the broad interests of the authority. This is consistent with the boards of similar authorities elsewhere, where stakeholder and interest group representation is combined with individuals who have knowledge of senior secondary teaching and assessment, experience and understanding of the VET system and knowledge of higher education. In determining the membership of the new authority, I will have regard to gender and regional balance, employers and employees, and representatives from government and non-government schools. The establishment of the TQA will reduce existing board and committee membership from in excess of 30 members to nine members.
The powers and functions of the authority are designed to allow it to effectively monitor and maintain standards that apply to education and training and relevant higher education. Its functions focus on integrating existing assessment, accreditation, recognition and registration arrangements for senior secondary, VET and higher education undertaken by the Tasmanian Secondary Assessment Board, the Tasmanian Accreditation and Recognition Committee, and the Universities Registration Council. Central to these are new functions which will allow the consolidated reporting of achievement on a single certificate or statement of qualifications.
The authority itself is established as a government regulatory body, with corporate services provided by the Department of Education, with funding from the latter's global budget. Its staff will be appointed under the provisions of the State Service Act 2000 and it is expected that current staff affected will be redeployed within the new authority.
The new authority will significantly strengthen the processes for accreditation of senior secondary courses compared to the current provisions contained in the Education Act 1994. By being able to both initiate processes which lead to the accreditation of new courses and accredit existing courses from here and elsewhere, a potentially richer senior secondary curriculum becomes possible. With an agreed position to have nationally developed curriculum statements, more flexible options for course development are likely to become important.
The authority will retain prime responsibility for the assessment of senior secondary students, including managing tertiary entrance scores, and will retain responsibility for issuing the Tasmanian Certificate of Education. It will also be able to set and monitor standards in relation to accredited courses, and will have the power to issue directions in relation to course delivery.
Including higher education within the scope of the new authority promises much in terms of formally involving it in the provision of education and training. This part of the bill draws heavily on the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes (2000), which provide a set of agreed guidelines adopted by State and Federal ministers governing quality assurance processes for higher education.
The provision of higher education is expected to grow in the future, particularly in relation to vocational education and training currently offered as diploma, advanced diploma and associate degree qualifications. The range of non-university higher education providers is also growing, including offering an expanded range of online qualifications.
The bill also specifically recognises the need for vigilance in accrediting and registering higher education providers beyond our shores, including those delivering by electronic means. Where a person resident in Tasmania undertakes a course by whatever means, the provider will be subject to the provisions of the act.
This bill also identifies offences relating to the provision of higher education, principally the unauthorised issuing of a higher education qualification or claiming to be a higher education provider. There are also strict limitations specified on the use of the term 'university', intended to protect the strong reputation of Australian universities.
Part 5 of the bill gives the authority the power to investigate and inspect registered providers of accredited courses and is a key element of the existing quality assurance provisions designed to maintain high standards in education, vocational education and training, and higher education. This part of the bill also provides for investigation of accredited training programs or registered training providers under the Vocational Education and Training Act 1994.
An investigation by the authority is only likely to be carried out if serious concerns exist in relation to an application for course accreditation or provider registration in senior secondary education, vocational education and training, or relevant higher education, however it is central to the maintenance of high standards of courses and education and training provision.
The inspection power of the authority is intended to allow authorised officers to undertake more detailed investigations, primarily of providers, including site visits and obtaining documentation, where breaches of registration, including delivery of accredited programs, may be occurring. These provisions appear in similar form in existing legislation for the Tasmanian Accreditation and Recognition Committee and the Universities Registration Council, although the extension to senior-secondary course accreditation is new.
The bill also makes clear the conditions under which decisions made by the authority can be reviewed or appealed. While provision for review of decisions in respect of senior secondary assessment will be determined by the authority under its rule-making powers, appeals in respect of course accreditation and provider registration will be heard by the Administrative Appeals Division of the Magistrates Court.
A key role for the new authority will be the establishment of a register of accredited courses and providers, an essential requirement for the authority to be able to issue consolidated qualifications statements covering school, VET and higher education. The register will include all accredited senior secondary, VET and higher education courses or programs, will link to the national database of registered VET providers - the National Training Information Service - and will include all registered higher education providers in this State.
Part 8 of the bill formalises a capacity for making rules, particularly in relation to senior secondary assessment processes. The rules in respect of assessment were a key part of the legislation in the Education Act 1994 governing the Secondary Assessment Board, and this has been extended to a general capacity for the authority to make rules in respect of vocational education and higher education where necessary or appropriate.
This bill comes at the conclusion of an extended and wide-ranging consultation with stakeholders, as well as members of the education, VET and higher education communities and community interest groups, beginning in mid-2001.
A Tasmanian Qualifications Discussion Paper was released in September 2001, and an invitation to respond resulted in 39 written responses. They came from key stakeholders, TASSAB, TAReC and the URC, as well as from the Australian Education Union, the University of Tasmania, the Board of TAFE Tasmania, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Tasmanian Secondary Principals Association. Most of the then industry training boards also responded. As well, over 20 presentations were undertaken to groups and organisations, again including TASSAB, TAReC and the URC and the University of Tasmania. Department of Education officers, the Association of Independent Schools Tasmania and the Catholic Education Office have been regularly updated on the progress of the project.
Through the consultation process, a clear consensus on the appropriateness and timeliness of the TQA was identified. This informed the TQA Project Steering Committee in its position paper released in March 2002, which established the principles upon which the legislation would be written. With the release of the draft Tasmanian Qualifications Authority Bill 2003 in August 2003, further consultation was undertaken.
This bill to establish the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority represents a significant move to break down the barriers that have historically existed between senior secondary schooling, vocational education and training, and higher education for all but those who have embarked on academic courses of study. It has the potential to contribute substantially to lifelong learning by making the transition from senior secondary school to further education, employment or training easier. Just as importantly, it will facilitate building links between school, VET and higher education in a way that will allow more transparent recognition of VET achievement.
The Tasmanian Qualifications Authority will assist in meeting this Government's objective for creating a world-class, post-compulsory education and training system for Tasmania.
Mr Speaker, may I in conclusion add that we have detected a couple of drafting errors, which I have circulated to both the shadow minister, Mr Gutwein, and the Member for Lyons, Mr Morris, and which I will be moving as amendments just to make sure the bill is correct. With that, I commend the bill to the House.
[11.50 a.m.]
Mr GUTWEIN (Bass) - I will make a short contribution this morning. We will be supporting the legislation. In fact, after discussion with a range of stakeholders on it, I would like formally to acknowledge the work that the minister and her department have done with stakeholders. I think this is a very sensible piece of legislation. It is certainly going to simplify the current system, there is no doubt about that. I think that any process whereby layers of government can be streamlined and brought into one body certainly makes a great deal of sense. The bringing together of those three existing bodies - TASAB, TAReC and the URC - into the Tasmania Qualification Authority makes a great deal of sense.
I will just put on record my understanding of the legislation. There are a number of questions on some of the clauses that I would like to explore and get some more detail on in committee. As I say, in principle we have no objection to the bill. I understand that the bill specifically excludes applications to the University of Tasmania and the Maritime College and other university or higher education providers which were established by Commonwealth and State legislation, as these universities are responsible under legislation for the accreditation and certification of their own programs in issuing of higher education qualifications.
The authority will be appointed by the minister, and there will be some discussion in the committee stage on that. There will be nine members. I think my colleague, Sue Napier, mentioned that there are around 30 appointed members of the other organisations, so it certainly does streamline things. I understand, and the minister has confirmed yet again in her speech, that the membership of the authority will take into account such issues as gender, regionality and representatives of both employees and employers plus the public and independent sector. The authority itself will be a government regulatory body with corporate services provided by the Department of Education with funding from the global education budget. It is expected, and we have been briefed, that the establishment of the authority will be effectively cost-neutral to the department - the minister might just confirm that - as it essentially draws together the resources that it already supports. The authority will be able to initiate processes which lead to the accreditation of new courses, as well as accrediting existing courses from within Tasmania and elsewhere potentially, hopefully leading to that richer senior secondary curriculum that the minister has mentioned. The authority will retain responsibility for the assessment of senior secondary students, including managing the tertiary entrance scores and maintaining responsibility through issuing the Tasmanian Certificate of Education.
The bill allows the authority the power to investigate in respect of registered providers on accredited courses and ensures that quality assurance is maintained. The authority will also have the power to inspect and authorise providers, and officers will be allowed to have site visits and obtain documentation for breaches of regulation on the present delivery of accredited programs that may be occurring. Obviously decisions by the authority can be reviewed or appealed.
As I said at the beginning of my comments, those stakeholders that I have spoken with on this matter are very supportive of it, and I acknowledge the department here in the Chamber today. All of them were very supportive and I acknowledge the efforts the department have put in to pull this together. As I said, we will investigate some clauses, but we will be supporting the bill. I think it is a sensible step forward. And whilst it is worth saying that it is an extensive piece of legislation, the outcome is a relatively simple one, and in that sense I think that whenever legislation is drafted, if your outcomes can be simple, hopefully you have the legislation correct. Once again I acknowledge that we will be supporting this. We think it is sensible legislation but we will investigate a little bit further during committee.
[11.56 a.m.]
Mr MORRIS (Lyons) - Mr Deputy Speaker, I would just like to acknowledge the presence here of students from around the southern part of the State. They have actually shown very good timing, given that this bill that we are dealing with here today does indeed affect education. So welcome to you all and I hope you enjoyed the morning tea.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the Greens will of course be supporting this bill. It is important that the education systems and processes be modernised, and qualifications processes are a part of that. It is very important that Tasmania not only maintains but continues to remain competitive and in the forefront of education within Australia and across the rest of the world. We have indeed much to offer not only our own students within the State but also much to offer because we have put the effort into education; we have got to the front of the pack and we need to stay there. That does not mean of course that we can rest on our laurels. In fact in some ways it means that we have to work even harder to maintain that position, but the benefits and rewards of a good education system will be felt for ever.
I would like to thank the minister firstly for the briefing this morning that we finally managed to arrange after a few days, which answered most of the questions that I had regarding this piece of legislation. I would like to say now that the establishment of the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority is indeed timely. Simplifying the processes will be good. It will make it easier to understand. We will be watching the progress of how this goes. I think it is quite innovative in a sense of going to a board that is not selected from individuals representing particular organisations, but to members who will be representing areas of expertise, and of course gender and State needs and regional needs. So it will be good to see how that goes because I think it would set a very good example for other organisations which have suffered often because of their representatives' needs to represent only the point of view of an individual organisation, not a more generalised expertise as is proposed here. So I think it will be very good to see how that goes and I look forward to that being established.
The only question that I had, Minister, and I am sure you probably have an answer for me already, was to clarify that the annual report that would be produced by the board and that would be given to you would be then laid upon the Table of this House for us to have a look at, because that will be probably the best way for us to have an overall view of how this is progressing.
I am going to keep my comments very short this morning because I have not had the opportunity to be involved. I was not around here when the initial consultations went on back in 2001 when the discussion papers were put out and have had nothing to do with it since. I am pleased and feel that this is a good progressive move to Tasmania. Well done, Minister, and I wish you well with it.
[12.00 p.m.]
Ms HAY (Bass) - There are a lot of ideas that I like within this bill and also a lot of aspects I liked within the minister's speech to this bill. These include quite a few positive, reinforcing words and phrases that I would like to repeat, words like 'initiative', 'vision', 'world class', 'streamline', 'planning' and 'consultation'. Mr Deputy Speaker, I like these words because they address problems or issues for which governments are often accused - that is, overmanagement and having too much red tape.
The policy blueprint Learning Together has signalled the need to build a world-class system for the management of qualifications. The proposed amalgamation of the three existing qualification bodies will do just this: manage it in a streamlined way. It will ensure that accreditation for courses is across the board. It has a vision that has developed through consultation with any and all parties who have a stake in the education and training of Tasmanians. You will note that I say 'Tasmanians' and not simply 'our youth'. In her speech the Minister for Education emphasised lifelong learning. Lifelong learning implies that people will no longer settle for a single qualification, nor settle for it in the traditional age brackets. The completion of a university degree or apprenticeship or traineeship or an exit qualification from school will in most cases represent only one in a range of qualifications that will be built up throughout our lives. More importantly, there is a trend for multiple qualifications to be achieved, and often simultaneously. We need legislation which allows for those people and indeed encourages them to aim high and to achieve multiple qualifications.
The Tasmanian Qualifications Authority will be a nine-member board with members from all relevant institutions. It will be the best, most streamlined way to facilitate the mixing and matching of qualifications from different institutions. It is important, with the experience, knowledge, hard work and determination of those people who qualify at university and/or TAFE and/or in VET courses, that their qualifications are recognised. It is clear that the qualification scenario is becoming more complex, with a wider range of qualifications being offered and sought, and being issued by a diversity of providers, increasingly by national and even international institutions. There is then clearly a need for a State-based authority which will provide a service for Tasmanians in coordinating and managing qualifications.
I am sure many parents have the aim, spoken or otherwise, for their children to go to university, but as we know university is not for everyone. Indeed, the world would be in trouble if everyone wanted to go to university, because so many occupations rely on teaching and training from other institutions. Also, under the new Federal system most of those people's hopes would be dashed since they could not afford the up-front fees. Tertiary training courses are not only enjoyed by those who undertake them, but lead to high-level learning outcomes and ensure that those who successfully complete them are attractive employment options. The only possible objection I could come up with, when considering this bill and this speech, is that other qualification boards may feel that they will be swallowed up and hence they may feel that they will experience loss of representation or will not have their own institution's voice. But this is really not an issue as there will be a broad membership on the TQA and it will be balanced in its government and non-government representation. It will be an independent authority which will be fair and give good outcomes to learners.
So who are these learners who will benefit from a Tasmanian Qualifications Authority? To begin with, our young people, young Tasmanians entering the post-compulsory phase of their schooling, taking up a traineeship or apprenticeship or embarking on a pathway into higher education; they would be major beneficiaries of a qualifications authority. For many young people, the pathway from school to work is no longer a simple transition. Formal study is often mixed with part-time employment. I still remember, all too clearly, how many part-time jobs I had to juggle when I was finishing university. And for many, between 30 and 40 per cent of 15 to 19 year olds, this may also involve formal training. Also, nearly a third of senior secondary school students currently undertake structured workplace learning. They are therefore entitled to a VET qualification or a statement of achievement. A qualifications authority will make it easier to keep track of diverse school and VET qualifications because it will become the single authority responsible for managing and where appropriate issuing a comprehensive qualifications statement.
The second group to benefit from a TQA are mature-aged learners. The need for people to have the skills for effective lifelong learning is evident in changes to the world of paid employment, growth in outsourcing and home-based employment. New emphasis on teamwork and multiskilling and shifts towards a knowledge-based economy carry with them the need for ongoing learning and continual training. With a new and emerging focus on schools as key agencies in community development, schools will increasingly act as the hub for a wide range of opportunities for adult learners. Online learning centres, often closely linked with rural schools, are also increasingly being used by mature-aged learners because they can now access a broad range of providers. Many adult learners now actively seek formal qualifications. There is also a trend for traditional providers of non-accredited education and training, like adult and community education organisations, to be used for recognised training purposes. The rapid growth in introductory programs in computer use is a good example of this. The need for a system that captures a range of qualifications from a diversity of sources across a lifetime will become increasingly necessary. The place for a central qualifications authority with the capacity to provide an up-to-date statement of qualifications gained throughout life is essential.
Thirdly, educational providers, schools and colleges from Catholic, government and independent sectors, currently provide teaching and learning programs in which students are assessed and awarded qualifications. An increasingly crowded curriculum has developed in response to demands for new vocation-directed courses. In schools, programs have grown alongside the traditional arts curriculum which is now recognised as not appropriate or even attainable for all students. There has also been substantial growth in joint programs with community-based and local government organisations, where students learn in places other than at school, using approaches that are atypical of schools. A Tasmanian qualifications authority has the potential to provide a consistent structure for schools and colleges dealing with a variety of credentialling bodies delivering different qualifications. An important outcome should be the elimination of duplication across Tasmanian Certificate of Education and VET programs.
Fourthly, employers will benefit from the TQA. The option of having access to a single, comprehensive qualification statement will deliver clearer and broader aspects for employers. I was in grade 9 at school when the TCA was introduced and as I struggled to figure out what the OAs, HAs and SAs meant with different levels of the same course thrown in for good measure, I wondered how employers used to the distinctions, credits and passes that my older brothers and sister gained would ever be able to measure my qualifications against someone with those of the previous generation. Employers clearly have a need to understand and interpret qualifications, since these should provide a reliable measure of skills and ability. However, employers have been critical of current arrangements, often finding TCE and VET results difficult to interpret, just as I foresaw back in my high school days. A central authority with a capacity for tracking and verifying qualifications will help make it just that much easier for employers. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have identified, as one of the top four constraints on business investment, a lack of suitably qualified employees. A new Tasmanian Qualifications Authority would provide the opportunity to devise new and more easily understood qualification statements and provide a valuable service by generating a comprehensive integrated statement of an individual's competencies and credentials.
Finally, the community will benefit. A much stronger sense of shared responsibility for families, schools, community organisations, governments and business in helping young people in the transition to post-school life now exists within the community. Everyone in this House would be aware of a number of individuals and organisations dedicated to doing just that. Integral to this process is the recognition of the role of community as an educational resource.
Similar messages are strongly evident in both the policy statement, Tasmania Together and Learning Together. A single qualifications authority will assist community initiatives to facilitate lifelong learning by providing a qualification structure incorporating the full range of education and training providers. The Qualifications Authority will also help to create a seamless qualifications pathway which will diminish the perception that VET qualifications are lower in terms of status or esteem. The comparative perceived value of VET qualifications beside academic qualifications has been a matter of concern in the past. By issuing the one qualification that identifies academic and vocational outcomes, parity will be achieved. It should also be recognised that the new authority will operate within the requirements of the Australian Qualifications Framework. The AQF, a national agreement, covers the nature and the format of qualifications issued in post-compulsory education and training.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I believe that any legislation which makes the process clearer, easier, more streamlined, more easily understood, more relevant to the challenges of today's education systems and the demands of the workforce, should be fully supported by all members of this House. I ask the members of this House to support this bill, as I have the honour of doing so now.
[12.13 p.m.]
Mrs NAPIER (Bass) - Mr Speaker, I rise to welcome this bill. It seems from the opportunity that I have had to read it that it is a logical step to take. I join with my colleague, the shadow minister, in congratulating the officers on the extent to which consultation has occurred. It has been quite extensive. People whom we have met to see whether they had any concerns about this particular bill were quite satisfied with the consultation, and it is really nice to stand in this House - something we could not do yesterday - and say that on this particular matter it would appear that the Government has fully consulted over quite a long time. And, most importantly, the views of the people who were consulted have actually been taken into account. That was our criticism yesterday. Sure, there was supposed to be consultation, but people get very angry when they believe that their views are not actually listened to, but today I am very pleased to stand and congratulate the department on the way in which the consultation has occurred, because it would appear as if this streamlining that is brought about by the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority Bill is a good way by which our education system is continuing to evolve. When we introduced vocational education and training in this State I think tha t was a really important step towards ensuring that not only in years 11 and 12 but also in years 9 and 10, and in fact some schools go before that, there are much more interesting and exciting opportunities for young people to study subjects and to gain skills and knowledge and an understanding of areas other than just the academic. I agree with a number of members in this House who have already said that part of the challenge into the future is going to be to give young people an understanding of the full variety of careers that might be pursued and to realise that working in the building industry or as plumbers or as IT technicians, that that kind of work, is just as important as being a professor in a university; that being able to deliver services in the aged care and the health industry as nurses or as doctors or as personal carers or as the cleaner, all of those jobs are important and valuable areas of work.
I am delighted to see the extent to which there has been a growth in vocational education and training in our schools. I am pleased to see that the initiative of extending the opportunity for VET study into the rural sector has been continued by this Government because we were certainly very much committed to deliver the opportunity not only for study through to years 11 and 12 but also to give access to vocational educational and training subjects so that people did not necessarily have to leave home and come into the city. We know that that is sometimes very difficult to sustain, leaving your family and going through the pressure of that. There used to be a huge retirement rate, if you like, where a lot of people stopped going to community colleges in the cities at Easter time. I was pleased to see that there have been efforts not only by teachers within the schools but also by advisers and supporters as well.
The abolition of TARAC, of the old TASAB and of the Universities Registration Council makes some sense although I have some questions and perhaps the minister could explain a little bit about that in relation to the implications for universities. I hope that can enable us to provide better sequence, better pathways both horizontally as well as forward into years of study, so that we do not have students doing a subject again. You might be studying science every year, a particular kind of science, but there are some logical steps by which you are increasing your knowledge, skills and experience in the area. For example, a student pursuing science-related subjects might suddenly decide, 'This is not for me: I really want to swing across to commercial or maybe trade-related subjects'. It is important that the student is not prevented from being able to do that, and I would hope that this Tasmanian Qualifications Authority will continue to refine the system to make sure that is possible.
I had the pleasure of joining with about 600 other people on the weekend at the Ulverstone High School reunion. I went there between 1960 and 1963; I am a public school girl not a private school girl. One of the decisions I made early on was to follow a commercial course. I studied typing and shorthand. I think it was called book-keeping or something like that; I cannot remember quite exactly what it was.
Mr Sturges - As girls did back then.
Mrs NAPIER - Well, no: I hated cooking and I was not going to do home arts anyway. I would like to have done science but I did not want to do home arts because I was hopeless at knitting and I was already a good cook. I wanted to be able to make those choices. Typing was the most valuable thing I ever learned at school because having gone into academia and then teaching I was able to quickly whip up a document myself. Of course when computers came in I did not have to learn how to type and even my shorthand used to come in handy at university lectures and going to public meetings, although I must admit I am a little bit rusty on it now; I would not like to have to dictate back on it. That was a useful experience for me because I was actually interested in economics and I thought that the only way I could get into studying economics would be to do some subjects that were related to that because you could still do the maths in the line I had. Interestingly, when I went to Devonport High School, in year 9 I tried to switch into science and they would not let me. It was just nonsense because that is what I wanted to study. I had looked at the other areas and thought, 'No, I want to change my direction' and I could not at the time.
Of course this is a long time ago. You still occasionally meet students who run into those blocks and I think it is really important that you catch a student where they are at, that students get to study subjects that they are really interested in learning. If you can make curriculum and school more interesting and help young people be provided with an opportunity to study the areas and the issues that they are interested in, and certainly try to still cover what we call the basics, but to do it in a way that is really interesting, then more students will remain switched on to learning. It is not the information you learn at school that really counts, it is your capacity to learn. It is your capacity to deal with information, assess it and use it and be able to respond to challenges and problems in applying that information.
One would hope that this new Tas Qualifications Authority is a way of better coordinating and streamlining learning. One of the issues I would hope this Tas Qualifications Authority picks up is that for too long we have been devaluing non-academic subjects and the trades. We daily hear of employers who have jobs who cannot get people to take them up and I think that is a major problem. I would pay tribute to the work that TARAC and the TQA have done in trying to develop a national training framework, which was certainly very much on the go when I was minister. I am delighted to see it continue spreading across other areas where people get recognised for knowledge that they have. I cannot quite remember the name of the term that stands for recognition of prior learning.
Ms Wriedt - There is RPL or -
Mrs NAPIER - RPL will do, so recognition of prior learning was something that we finally incorporated within TAFE. I said to my department when I was minister, 'I want this to go right down through the schooling sector. I want it to be applied at least to years 11 and 12 and I want it to be applied to years 9 and 10'. I did not get there - I do not know how you are going minister - but it just seemed to me that if we could have had a formalisation, a recognition-of-prior-learning system, it might have been a way of coming up with better credibility for some of the areas that students study within schools. The worst thing you can do is end up repeating a topic or an issue, unless it has certainly been significantly extended, whether it is in terms of experience, knowledge, insight or otherwise.
The option of providing a single statement of achievement is a good option. I would take it, Minister, that you can if you wish get a printout of what you have done at TAFE or a printout of what you have done in years 9 and 10. I would like a clarification as to whether this is going to cover years 9 and 10 still. There was some suggestion that it just be years 11 and 12, so I would appreciate that clarification of which levels of schooling it is going to apply to.
There are instances where, in a particular year, a student bombs out for a whole variety of reasons, and I always think it is a disadvantage for a student if they are unable to get a years 11 and 12 statement without years 9 and 10 on it or whatever it might be because everyone has a bad year. Everyone makes a mistake. I remember one year of my education: I went on a trip to Sydney and I had a fantastic time with a representative team and I forgot that there was a maths exam. I think I got back on the Sunday and I got to school and we had a maths exam at nine o'clock that morning and I bombed out. It was the only time I ever did but it happens.
Mr Sturges - Probably never happened to me.
Mrs NAPIER - I am sure everyone else is perfect in this House. I do not think so.
Mr Sturges - I just didn't attend.
Members laughing .
Mrs NAPIER - If I go around I like to use my university results; I do not like to use my year 10 maths results. I think there are some people, particularly boys, who blossom later in life, who do not always achieve well at school.
Mr Sturges - That's what happened, I blossomed later.
Mrs NAPIER - You blossomed later in life, Graeme, okay. But I think that is where, if it is an option, that you should get a single statement if you like, but you can also hopefully get sections of schooling that you might decide to use. I think that is pretty important because some employers will take the list, look at anything where you have not performed well or you have failed, and just wipe you out as part of their initial sort, and that can be to their disadvantage, I think, as much as anyone else's.
On the issue of universities, I notice that you have specifically allowed for the University of the Third Age and I welcome that because I think they do a fantastic job, as much as I am a real fan of the School for Seniors too. I think they do a fantastic job as well and I am very pleased to see that they are still being valued by the Tasmanian Government. I hope they are, because we would certainly hear about it if they are not. There is good cooperation, as I understand it, between TAFE and the School for Seniors, although I understand they still need that carpark upgrading.
I just wondered where we were with something like the multiversity, which I came into contact with when I was minister. The multiversity consisted of the delivery online of university education. They drew from already accredited courses, some from the University of Western Australia and the University of Adelaide. There were also a couple of American universities they were drawing subjects from, and it was a multiversity that provided university education. When I looked at the section that deals with that, it seemed to me that if it had been purely an Australian university or purely an overseas university it would not have been a problem. But I just wondered, if you had an organisation that was Tasmanian-based that was calling itself a multi-university - or multiversity - where would they be and how might they be affected?
I will just follow the debate through. I note that the staff who are currently working within the existing authorities will be redeployed within the new authorities. My understanding is, and I really am not on top of this at this stage, that the work of TAReC will be covered by the new Tasmanian Qualifications Authority, but the work that is done by the quality control group that exists for Vocational Education and Training in terms of ensuring that there is compliance and registration of training organisation and so on, still seems to be covered separately by the Vocational Education and Training Amendment Bill. I guess we will sort that out when we get to that particular bill.
I am not absolutely clear, I suppose, what element of the roles of TAReC will be taken into this bill and what element of some of their roles will be put into the VET bill. Perhaps the minister might clarify exactly where we are heading between the two. As I understand it, the VET bill will be dealing with quality control and compliance - apprenticeships, traineeships and those kinds of quality control issues - but I would certainly appreciate that clarification. Beyond that, as indicated by the shadow minister, Mr Peter Gutwein, we are happy to support the bill.
[12.29 p.m.]
Mr STURGES (Denison) - Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to make a brief contribution on the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority Bill 2003.
Mr Gutwein - Brief but blossoming.
Mr STURGES - You liked the blossoming principle, did you?
Mr Gutwein - Yes, I did.
Mr STURGES - Good - as long as it does not spread too much. You do not want to drop the blossom.
I want to make a brief contribution because this is further evidence of this Government taking the education system in Tasmania from what is now a first-class system to a truly world-class system of education. I think it is very commendable of the minister and her staff to continue this ongoing pursuit of excellence in education in Tasmania. Strengthening post-compulsory education and training has been an ongoing priority for the Government. Tasmanians must continue to develop their skills beyond the compulsory school years to fully benefit from the State's growing economic position. It is a very strong position that we are in at the moment and certainly the future, to use the blossoming or flowering analogy that is developing here, is looking very rosy.
We need to make it as easy as possible for our young people to make the transition from school to vocational education and training or any other form of higher education. That is why this Government is creating a single body to streamline the qualification process. This is being done through the integration and coordination of current systems governing post-compulsory education and training. At the risk of making this too simplistic, because it is quite a complex task to amalgamate the relevant bodies, we are in effect creating a one-stop shop for qualifications that is going to simplify the accreditation and recognition of qualifications that our young people gain as they go through the various streams and opportunities within our educational system. This is an initiative of the Learning Together process and the Government's vision for education and training into the twenty-first century.
The Tasmanian Qualifications Authority will integrate the functions of three existing bodies, as the minister has said: the Tasmanian Secondary Schools Assessment Board - TASSAB; the Tasmanian Accreditation and Recognition Committee - TAReC; and the University's Registration Council - URC. This new authority will deal with all assessment, accreditation and registration processes previously administered by the three existing separate bodies and is similar to moves that are being made in other States to streamline the accreditation and recognition of educational qualifications.
This streamlining will significantly improve pathways from senior secondary school to vocational education and training and higher education by providing a range of available qualifications and, most importantly, improving links between the qualifications in different sectors. I think, as the member for Bass, Mrs Napier, said in her contribution, it is important to recognise that qualifications can be gained in a variety of sectors within our education system in this State. I think it is absolutely fantastic that we are knocking down those barriers that currently exist and linking that web that is out there.
Creating a single authority will also reduce existing board and committee membership from in excess of what I believe is currently around 30, to nine members. That in itself has to make it a lot more workable and a lot easier for things to get done.
The Tasmanian Qualifications Authority will create a State register of all accredited senior secondary, VET and higher education courses and course providers. We do have a growing number of course providers in this State so it is very important that we maintain an accurate register and have an accurate account of those providers. This will also link to the national database of registered VET providers. This register will provide a one-stop shop for all Tasmanians interested in pursuing post-compulsory education and training. Can I say to you, we are making it more interesting for young Tasmanians and those not so young to pursue further education. Establishing registers such as this is just one way the TQA will continue to strengthen the pathways between school and further education.
Mr Deputy Speaker, this is really historic legislation and I am very proud to be able to stand here and support this legislation that, as I said, is progressive and it is further strengthening the truly first-class system of education in Tasmania. The establishment of the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority is really further evidence of the Bacon Labor Government's commitment to creating a world-class, post-compulsory education and training system in Tasmania. I commend the bill to the House and I place on record my congratulations to the minister for pursuing this and also my recognition of all the hard work of the staff in the department.
[12.36 p.m.]
Ms WRIEDT (Franklin - Minister for Education) - I thank members for their contributions and also for their support of this legislation because, as has been recognised in those contributions, there has been very extensive consultation over a long period of time in relation to this. It is a significant piece of legislation and we did want to ensure that we dotted the i's and crossed the t's wherever possible.
If I can just address a number of the issues that were raised, firstly in relation to comments about the streamlining. I know there can be some nervousness when you are subsuming 30 members who are currently on three different boards and committees into nine. Under the current Education Act, TASSAB was established with at least 18 members and I think at one point they have had up to about 22 members. I assume other members have been in the situation where it seems that the larger the meeting you are in the more difficult it is to come to a resolution. I think that is quite often the case with different boards and committees. Quite often a smaller more streamlined committee can be more effective in making decisions. I do not believe that the quality of the decisions that committees with large memberships make are compromised in any way but it does make sense to streamline when we are having one authority.
The method of appointment of membership: you will probably raise that during the committee stage and I am not quite sure specifically what it was that you were referring to. If it is in relation to the fact that it says that members are to be appointed by the minister, that is a similar provision that exists in many other pieces of legislation whether they are people deemed to be representative of organisations which are specified or whether it is just people who have broad knowledge and skills in particular areas.
For example, if you go to the current VET act it specifies that the members of TASTA are appointed by the minister of the day. It talks about a couple of specifics but then it breaks it down into people who have broad knowledge and skills in different areas.
Mr Gutwein - If I can explain it by interjection, the only concern that I had raised by any of the stakeholders was about independence, that they would be part of the board themselves and I know that they have written to you on it. They were hoping that some level of comfort would be given in this debate that they would be represented. I know in the provisions of the bill here that it is desirable that it contains both non-government and government and they were hopeful that that could be acknowledged.
Ms WRIEDT - Sure. I am certainly happy to put on the record the fact that it is my intention in forming the first board- and for however many I get to appoint in my time as minister - that there would be representatives of both the government and non-government school sector on there because that is similar to other provisions that we have in teacher registration and so on where we do make sure that there is equal weighting between the sectors to recognise that these are issues that are covering all school students, not just government school students.
I think I have written to them - or I might have verbally responded to AIST - to let them know that, and I will certainly be writing to them following the passage of the bill in both Houses asking them to look out for the advertisements and saying that I would be happy to receive nominations from them as well as other organisations, of course. So hopefully that has covered that matter.
The member for Lyons, Mr Morris, raised the question of gender and regional balance, and I think that is probably one of the hardest things that I have had to achieve in appointing different boards and committees over the past five years. When you actually have specified in legislation the different organisations that are to nominate people, quite often those organisations only provide you with one person. Say you have six different organisations and they provide you with one person and they all happen to be males from the south of the State, then you cannot satisfy the regional and gender balance, and that is always a challenge. I have a standard paragraph that I always include to organisations when I am asking them to nominate, saying the Government has a policy of trying to address particularly the gender balance under the legislative provisions or whatever bill it is we are trying to address, or the regional balance or sectoral balance, and we ask them to please provide three nominations so that at least then we can choose to get the best coverage of all the a reas, of both genders and so on. But sometimes they are hesitant to provide more than one nominee, so it is always a challenge, but one that I guess we always look forward to and somehow manage to overcome, I would say, most of the time. I am hopeful that in this case we will be able to do likewise. In the past I have seen situations, for example, where I think on the TAFE board in one instance we had more people from the north and north west and then on the subsequent board there were fewer. It depends who is available at the time with the relevant skills, so we will certainly give you the undertaking we will try to do our best in relation to taking those matters into consideration.
In relation to the budget of the board, essentially it is going to be cost-neutral. There may be some initial start-up funding that may be required to enable them to set up their office, similar to the arrangements we had when we established the Teachers Registration Board, which is cost-neutral but did require some initial seed funding to get its office established. But given that the department already has specific budgets for TASSAB, and also some of the budget from the Office of Post-Compulsory Education and Training is provided to TAReC and also to the University Registration Council, then that money will go across and ultimately it will be cost-neutral, with the disclaimer that there may be some start-up costs.
It is correct that the legislation does not apply to the University of Tasmania or ANC because they are covered by other legislation, so really currently the University Registration Council, outside of the University of Tasmania and ANC, only has four other higher education providers that are operating in the State that are registered by the University Registration Council. So the TQA would cover those and then any future ones that would apply.
Mrs Napier - So what are those institutions? There's the University of the Third Age.
Ms WRIEDT - No, the University of the Third Age is not covered by this at all.
Mrs Napier - But what are the other four?
Ms WRIEDT - They are theological colleges and so on. I do have that information if you bear with me.
Mrs Napier - They don't use the term university though, do they?
Ms WRIEDT - They are higher education providers. They are the World View Centre for Intercultural Studies, which offers the Bachelor of Intercultural Studies and other courses; the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Australia, which offers graduate diplomas in chartered accountancy; the Australian College of Theology, which offers a Bachelor of Theology as well as other courses; and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners which offers a graduate diploma in rural general practice. They are the four that currently are registered as higher education providers in Tasmania outside of the others.
Mrs Napier - This won't stop them offering degrees.
Ms WRIEDT - No, they just have to be registered in order to do it. What it will do is stop any of the shonky ones from offering them. I have a lovely example here somewhere of an e-mail which I received. There have been some spam e-mails going around recently offering -
Mr Gutwein - I got one too.
Ms WRIEDT - Yes, you can buy a doctorate from $300, no exams, no books - I have to say it was slightly appealing.
'Do you want a prosperous future, increase money, earning power and the respect of all.'
There is no doubt the answer to that was `yes'.
'You can have bachelors, masters, MBA and doctorate diplomas in the field of your choice. That's right, you can become a doctor and receive all the benefits and admiration that comes with it. No-one is turned down. Confidentiality assured. Call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including Sundays and holidays. Contact us now to receive your diploma within days and start improving your life.'
And it is headed 'University diplomas'. The number is 1646304 1986. Is this the one in the Virgin Islands?
Mrs Napier - You can buy them in the US, though.
Ms WRIEDT - There are a few that we know of who are offering things like this but I thought it was quite appropriate that I received one. Only last week as I was sitting at my desk reading the second reading speech for this and clearly that is headed 'University diplomas'. It is only when you get to the small print where it says, 'We can assist with diplomas from prestigious non-accredited universities based on your present knowledge and life experience'. It is that RPL that you were talking about.
Mrs Napier - That's actually illegal now, isn't it, under the university registration?
Ms WRIEDT - It is indeed illegal at the moment. You cannot use the term 'accredited' and you cannot use the term 'university' so in fact -
Member - I won the lotto in the Congo.
Ms WRIEDT - Yes, but that is the sort of thing that we are trying to avoid so that the high-quality universities that do exist can have some sort of assurance that they are not being undermined by some shonky operators as clearly that one is, attractive as it may be.
Annual reporting requirements were raised by the member for Lyons. It is not a requirement under this legislation that the annual report be tabled in Parliament; it is only necessary for an annual report to be tabled in Parliament where it is articulated in the legislation. I have been seeking to get some advice from parliamentary counsel as to how one determines, when you are drafting legislation, whether an authority, GBE or whatever has a requirement to have that written in or not. There does not seem to be any specific answer. Suffice to say, there is not a necessity for it to be tabled because the annual report would be a publicly available document.
The situation with TASSAB at the moment is that TASSAB do not have a separate annual report. Their annual reporting statistics are contained in the Education department's annual report, which of course is tabled in Parliament. But the TQA would do a separate annual report of its own and certainly I would imagine that that would be a publicly available document on their web site that would give all sorts of statistics that people may be interested in. That is similar to the provisions of teacher registration, for example, where it is not required under their legislation for it to be tabled in Parliament but their annual report is publicly available. They have a time frame in which they need to report to the minister of the day and then, after that, it is a publicly available document. I think you will find the teacher registration report on their web site.
A couple of other matters were raised. The member for Bass, Mrs Napier, raised the question of the devaluing of non-academic subjects for too long. I guess that is really at the heart of trying to provide a single statement of achievement so that you will have vocational qualifications sitting alongside higher education qualifications and senior secondary ones in an equal manner. But it would not prevent an individual, if they so desired, getting a single statement of attainment just for specific years. The example you raised was if somebody just wanted a statement covering their TAFE qualifications; they could still obtain that. The trend has certainly been that people are increasingly not wanting to have to go around when they are putting their CV together and get the different sets of qualifications and assemble them. The idea behind this is that it is able to provide that one-stop shop service to people of all ages.
In relation to the question of the multi-university or multiversity, if it is an organisation that is offering online courses, if they were content derived wholly from another Australian university that is covered by State or Commonwealth legislation, then they would not need to be registered under here because they would have gone through the usual QA checks. If they do include content from overseas universities, even if it is only modules or subjects, then they would need to because not to register them under this provision would open the door up for some of these shonky organisations. There has been a long-running situation with Greenwich University where they established - Greenwich University were actually in Missouri - a university on Norfolk Island. They were trying to get into Australia and there was a very long history associated with them. It ended up having to come to the MCETYA meetings for resolution to try to keep organisations like that out. There is a trend towards online provision and it is, I think, quite an important facet of this legislation that we are seeking to cover that online provision as well. If there is potential for students to be exploited from shonky providers, there is no doubt that online is going to be the most obvious way. Online provision from universities not covered by Commonwealth or State legislation would be covered by the TQA.
The other matter that the member for Bass raised was the question of the quality assurance processes for VET and where they were located. They are still located in the VET act 1994. I have to say that drafting the TQA legislation has been somewhat of a challenge for Parliamentary Counsel and for the instructing officers in the department, to try to work out how to do this in the neatest possible way. The entire VET act is not subsumed into the TQA. What is taken out of the VET act is all the functions of TAReC, because they do the accreditation and recognition of VET. That all comes out, so what you will see in the VET amendment bill, which was tabled in the House yesterday, is that that entire section relating to TAReC is deleted because that has now all gone into the TQA. They are the powers that you will find in there. The rest of the VET act remains with some other amendments. It was not possible to put everything that is in the VET act at the moment into the TQA bill because the VET act covers areas that the TQA bill does not go to. It was somewhat of a challenge to make it clear and to make the relationship between the two bills clear, but hopefully we have done that.
Mrs Napier - I am struggling to understand how it does link, but I guess we'll sort it out as we go through.
Ms WRIEDT - Yes, during the committee stage hopefully it will become obvious. Mr Deputy Speaker, I will not delay the House any longer. I think that has covered all the matters that were raised by members. I thank them for their contributions and support and I also acknowledge the work by the departmental officers and the TQA Project steering committee. The huge amount of consultation undertaken has been very time-consuming and they have certainly gone into a great deal of detail to ensure that we can have the best legislation possible.
Bill read the second time.