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Tuition Protection Service

Post-implementation Review – Department of Education and Training

On 23 September 2011 the then Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations announced a decision to introduce a new Tuition Protection Service and other related measures under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000. The Tuition Protection Service is a single mechanism to place students when an education provider closes, or as a last resort, to provide refunds of unspent course fees. A number of complementary initiatives were also introduced, including limits on the amount of pre-paid course fees that may be collected by providers; requirements for some providers to keep initial pre-paid fees in a separate account until a student commences study; strengthened record keeping obligations; and the establishment of a national registration system which would allow the registration of providers who operate across jurisdictions. The proposal was assessed as likely to have a measurable impact on the economy, but a compliant Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) was not prepared before the decision was made. The June 2010 RIS requirements applied at that time. The proposal was implemented in July 2012. A post-implementation review (PIR) was completed by the Department of Education and Training in January 2015 and was assessed as compliant by the Office of Best Practice Regulation. The PIR found that stakeholders mostly supported the changes and considered the changes were effectively meeting their goals. However, the PIR also identified some scope to reduce administrative burden.