Page 342 - Week 02 - Thursday, 8 March 2007

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territory agencies have to prepare their records for public access. We now estimate that the territory holds upwards of 20 kilometres of records. Many of these records will hold information of a personal and private nature, and we need to ensure that this material does not inadvertently become open for public access. Territory agencies will use this additional time to continue to examine the records that they hold. Agency record managers will also be preparing finding tools for these older records to assist members of the public in their interpretation and use of these records. This amendment also proposes a review timetable for the act to ensure that the Assembly is satisfied with all aspects of the operation of the act.

Debate (on motion by Mr Stefaniak) adjourned to the next sitting.

Training and Tertiary Education Legislation Amendment Bill 2007

Mr Barr, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.

Title read by Clerk.

MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Industrial Relations) (10.32): I move:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

I am pleased to present the Training and Tertiary Education Legislation Amendment Bill 2007 which repeals the Vocational Education and Training Act 2003 and introduces amendments to the Tertiary Accreditation and Registration Act 2003, firstly, to accommodate those administrative and governance functions of the Vocational Education and Training Act 2003 that need to be retained; secondly, to incorporate references to the national protocols for higher education approval processes; and, thirdly, to allow for efficient, expert advice on the eligibility of an application for university status in the territory.

With this bill the department is seeking to streamline the administration of all aspects of vocational education and training, including policy, service delivery, industry input, accreditation and registration. Costly duplication of effort will be eliminated and provision of advice will be more streamlined. These amendments will change the object and scope of the Tertiary Accreditation and Registration Act 2000. It will therefore be renamed more accurately to reflect its expanded scope.

The Vocational Education and Training Authority was established under the Vocational Education and Training Act 2003 and given a range of advisory and administrative powers. Its administrative functions, however, were entirely delegated to the department, which operates as the state training authority for the ACT in all negotiations and interactions with the Australian government. Those functions that require the force of legislation will be incorporated in their entirety into the amended Tertiary Accreditation and Registration Act 2003. The department can properly carry out most governance and all of the administrative functions performed by the authority.


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