Contact and Links

These are links to relevant fully or partially funded websites by the Australian Government. You will find useful information regarding apprenticeships, qualification frameworks, jobs and expected employment growth in Australia, and much more for Australia's Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.

States and Territories Sites
Australian Capital Territory Department of Education and Training
New South Wales Department of Education & Communities
Northern Territory Department of Business
Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment
South Australia Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology - Skills for All
Tasmania Skills Tasmania
Victoria Department of Education and Training
Western Australia Department of Training and Workforce Development
States and Territories  Sites
Victoria Victorian Registration & Qualifications Authority
Western Australia Training Accreditation Council
All other states and territories Australian Skills Quality Authority

 

These peak bodies are national associations representing various groups within the Australian VET sector. These groups include independent providers of post-compulsory education and training; business enterprises operating registered training organisations; and technical and further education institutes across Australia.   

Contact the relevant registered training organisation (RTO) directly for information about:

  • choosing a course
  • course duration
  • course structure
  • course cost
  • government subsidies

Use the search functions on the home page to locate the RTO that can provide the course you are interested in.

If you are not satisfied with the quality of service or training being provided, and you think your training provider is breaching, or has breached, its legal requirements under National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (the NVETR Act); the first thing to do is to have your complaint investigated through your RTO’s internal complaints and appeals processes.

Australian students (including permanent residents)

If you are not satisfied with the outcome after following your RTO’s internal procedures, and still believe your RTO is breaching or has breached its legal requirements, you have several options:

  • Students can submit a complaint to the relevant regulator for their RTO.  This could be Australian Skills Quality Authority, the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, or the WA Training Accreditation Council. It is important that you can show the regulator that you have followed your RTO’s formal complaints procedure and the response that you received from them.
  • Students enrolled with a public training provider (e.g. TAFE) can lodge an external appeal with the State Ombudsman’s Office. Contact details for the State Ombudsman Offices are available from the websites below: 
State Ombudsman’s Website
ACT www.ombudsman.act.gov.au
NSW www.ombo.nsw.gov.au
NT http://www.ombudsman.nt.gov.au/
TAS www.ombudsman.tas.gov.au
WA www.ombudsman.wa.gov.au
QLD www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au
VIC www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au
SA www.trainingadvocate.sa.gov.au

Students enrolled with a private RTO can lodge complaints with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The ACCC will only have jurisdiction to investigate complaints that are in breach of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Visit the ACCC website for details on how to submit a complaint.

If students, enrolled with an approved VET Student Loan provider, think the actions of their provider have made them get a HELP debt unfairly, they can make a complaint with the VET Student Loans Ombudsman. More information is available here: Commonwealth Vet Student Loans Ombudsman

 

Overseas students

If you are an overseas student in Australia on an overseas student visa, and you are not satisfied with the outcome or the way the training provider handled your complaint, you are entitled to take your complaint to an external appeals body.

Overseas students enrolled with a public training provider can lodge an external appeal with their State Ombudsman Offices (listed above).

Overseas students enrolled in a private training provider can lodge an external appeal with the Commonwealth Overseas Students Ombudsman.

 

All students

  • If you are not sure who should handle your complaint, email the Training Complaints Hotline; they will refer your complaint to the relevant authority for consideration.  
  • Contact Skilling Australia on phone 13 38 73 (Monday–Friday, 9 am to 6 pm nationally) or email skilling@education.gov.au.