TAFE SA crisis: Record tally of penalties loom, auditor reveals

TAFE SA is up for more sanctions than has ever been slapped on similar public training providers, the national auditor has revealed.

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TAFE SA is up for more sanctions than has ever been slapped on similar public training providers, the national auditor has revealed.

Comparisons with past audits show the “unprecedented” nature of the crisis facing TAFE SA, which could be banned from enrolling students in 10 courses.

The Australian Skills Quality Agency has made “adverse decisions” against three interstate TAFEs since it was established in 2011, but sanctions were applied only to between three and eight qualifications.

SA Education Minister Susan Close. Picture: AAP

SA Education Minister Susan Close said the State Government took the situation seriously and the people “operationally responsible” had been held to account.

Dr Close argued that some audits of interstate TAFE institutions had a 100 per cent noncompliance rate but fewer courses were examined.

But federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham called on Premier Jay Weatherill to “pull his head out of the sand” and acknowledge the scale of the issue.

“This is an unprecedented scale of failings for a public training provider,” Senator Birmingham said.

Federal Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham. Picture: AAP

“Unfortunately TAFE SA under the Weatherill Labor Government wears the shame of having the worst result of a public training provider in the history of the national regulator. “

Dr Close listed urgent remediation for graduating students, and hiring an independent firm to provide quality assurance and advice on how to improve internal mechanisms, as other important remedies.

Earlier this month ASQA agreed to extend the time before the suspension of new enrolment begins.

Dr Close said that meant students could begin study in the new year. “Through this comprehensive response TAFE SA will emerge stronger than ever,” Dr Close said.

ASQA has undertaken 129 audits of TAFE institutes and public training institutions around Australia.

Excluding the TAFE SA audit, it has issued 34 notices of intent to make adverse decisions to 23 TAFE institutions and 13 written directions to rectify noncompliances.

The problems were fixed before adverse decisions were made except in three cases — Victoria earlier this year, NSW last year and Queensland in 2013.

The Queensland public training provider had 15 qualifications and one unit of competency audited and eight qualifications were found to be non-compliant.

The Victorian TAFE had three qualifications and two units of competency audited and all three qualifications were found to be non-compliant and enrolments were suspended.

In NSW, three qualifications were found to be non-compliant but no suspensions were applied.

An ASQA spokesman said the scope of audits differed depending on factors such as the reasons for them and the size of the provider.