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The VET Student Loans Act 2016 (Act) and the VET Student Loans Rules 2016 set out the legislative requirements that underpin the VET Student Loans (VSL) program.
The VSL program commenced on 1 January 2017 and provides support for students to access Vocational Education and Training (VET) that meets workplace needs in areas of national skills priority and improves their employment outcomes; protecting students and taxpayers; and ensuring integrity to Australia’s VET system and the reputation of quality training providers. To achieve these objectives, the department aims to encourage, strengthen and enforce the compliance of approved course providers (providers) with the regulatory requirements of the VSL.
The department has a strong commitment to ensuring that approved VSL providers comply with their legal obligations. The department undertakes a range of compliance activities including audits, investigations and student surveys to identify potential non-compliance by providers.
The department has a compliance strategy to encourage, enforce and strengthen compliance of approved VSL course providers with the regulatory requirements of the VSL program.
In taking actions to ensure compliance, the department aims to:
- protect the interests of students and maximise the educational experience of students
- ensure the appropriate spending of public monies
- protect the integrity of the VSL program.
With these goals in mind, the department will:
- act to detect potential non-compliance (including through a rolling program of student surveys, desktop monitoring, compliance audits and investigations)
- deter and prevent non-compliance by taking compliance action against approved VSL courses providers (including through immediate suspension, suspension and revocation of approval, issuing infringement notices, seeking civil penalties and, in the most serious cases, referring matters for prosecution)
VSL providers with a compliance action
The department maintains a list of VSL providers that have been subject to a compliance action.
Complaints and tip-offs
The department takes all complaints and tip-offs seriously. If you wish to lodge a complaint, or wish to make a confidential tip-off, about the behaviour or conduct of a VSL course provider please contact the National Training Complaints Hotline on 13 38 73 or NTCH@dewr.gov.au.
Compliance Case studies
The following case studies demonstrate the department's commitment to monitoring and enforcing the compliance of approved course providers with the VSL Act and the VSL Rules and the potential consequences for non-compliance.