Read about the human toll; the people who have died, committed suicide, had heart attacks, lost everything including their home and everything they owned. You will read about domestic violence, the severe trauma and anxiety that still cripples these people today.
The #enoughisenough campaign and the International Centre for Education Advocacy were established to support providers and assist to keep ASQA accountable for the absolute destruction that is left in the wake of some auditors who have nothing better to do than to exploit their role in the public service and make life hell for some people.
From "I'm here to close you down" to conflicts of interest, members of parliament using parliamentary privilege as a way of attacking private providers without any evidence, those who come back for a second bite of the cherry and an alarming lack of empathy. This book also exposes some of the alarming contradictions and inconsistent decision-making of the national VET regulator. With contributions from Education Issues Australia and a range of 'survivors', it's time these stories were told in the public interest.
There is absolutely no question that the public would be horrified if it understood the amount of damage being caused by an inefficient, incompetent regulator. Equally, they would be horrified if they knew that policy changes are nothing more than mere distractions to prevent the public from identifying the significant injustice being wreaked daily by a government body that is supposed to be beyond reproach.
The public interest is not served when people are dying, killing themselves, experiencing nervous breakdowns so severe that they can no longer work for years after their ASQA experience, as a result of being part of this sector. It's also not served when industry and subject matter experts have been 'evicted' from the system that should be helping to lay the foundations for our future generations.
In April 2020, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ("AAT") made a significant finding that should change the way private RTOs are viewed during merits review and stay hearings. When the AAT makes a statement that 'We have concluded that in future cases where there is a contest about non-compliances, ASQA must start and do so without the assumption that its allegations of non-compliance are prima facie correct', it opens the door for truth, understanding and empathy for all that has been lost while the regulator got it wrong.
