11th Nov 2015, 5:54 PM – Representatives Higher Education Support Amendment (Vet Fee-Help Reform) Bill 2015 - Second Reading - VET Ombudsman and audit

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Labor MP Sharon Bird, which means that the motion failed.

What did the motion do?

Ms Bird MP's motion would have amended an earlier motion that asked for the bill to be read a second time. If you read a bill for a second time, it means that you agree with the main idea of the bill and want to discuss it in more detail.

The motion asked for a National Vocational Education & Training (VET) Ombudsman and an audit of VET FEE-HELP. See ABC News for more information about why Ms Bird MP may have thought her changes were needed.

Motion text

That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“while not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House calls on the Government to:

(1) appoint a National VET [Vocational Education & Training] Ombudsman with the power to:

(a) investigate consumer complaints;

(b) order Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) which have been found to have acted unscrupulously to refund course fees to the student; and

(c) order RTOs to refund the course fee to the Government and have the student’s VET FEE-HELP fee waived in cases where the course fees have been paid by the Government and the student has accrued a VET FEE-HELP debt; and

(2) support Labor’s call for the Auditor-General to conduct an audit on the use of VET FEE-HELP.”