ASQA is progressing stakeholder consultation on a proposed schedule of revised fees and charges to come into effect from 1 July 2022.
Background to cost recovery
In 2018, the Australian Government made a policy decision that ASQA would implement full cost recovery for most of our regulatory functions.
In 2019, we began consultation on our implementation of full cost recovery with full cost recovery originally planned to be implemented by 2020-21.
In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Government extended the implementation date for full cost recovery by a further year, until 1 July 2022.
Sector engagement
ASQA will begin operating as a full cost recovery agency from 1 July 2022. This involves changes to our cost recovery arrangements, including our fees and charges. The extended timeframe to implement our cost recovery provided more time for us to work with key stakeholders to make changes to our:
- Regulatory Risk Framework
- Regulatory Operating Model
- organisational design.
This work responds to the recommendations of the Rapid Review of our Regulatory Practices and Processes (the Rapid Review). In improving our regulatory approach, we have also considered the feedback provided on full cost recovery in the first round of consultation in 2019.
An updated CRIS
The Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS) has now been updated to reflect our improvements made over the past 18 months that deliver more efficient, effective, transparent and accountable regulation.
The draft CRIS explains:
- how we utilise the cost recovery model as a key tool to minimise costs to business and taxpayers while improving quality outcomes and maintaining safeguards for quality VET.
- the new fees and charges we propose to introduce from 1 July 2022.
- how these fees and charges, together with the strategic use of our cost recovery model and planned future changes to fees and charges, align with our four-year program of planned improvements to our operation as a best practice regulator.
What does the draft CRIS mean for you?
Due to efficiencies we implemented in response to the Rapid Review, we propose the following changes to our fees for 2022-23:
- registration, renewal of registration and changes to registration are largely either at, or below, the costs proposed in the 2019 consultation on full cost recovery
- course accreditation will be at the same cost proposed in 2019
- Annual Registration Charge (ARC) for providers reflects that, between the period November 2021 (when the last CRIS was published) and 1 July 2022, ASQA will have achieved further efficiencies
- we will not proceed with the 2019 proposal to introduce an ARC for course accreditation.
The draft CRIS is a resource to build understanding of how our cost recovery model supports our purpose and is part of our strategic direction, aligned to the 2021-22 Corporate Plan.
It ensures we remain transparent and accountable for an efficient cost of our regulatory activity, minimising costs to the organisations and individuals regulated by ASQA while improving quality outcomes and maintaining safeguards for quality VET.
Provide your feedback
ASQA is working closely with the Provider Roundtable and the Stakeholder Liaison Group on implementation of full cost recovery.
We also want to hear directly from individual providers, course owners and other stakeholders on the proposed fees and charges.
Please review our draft CRIS and provide feedback on the proposed fees and charges by Wednesday 9 February 2022.
We will review all feedback received and will make changes to the proposed fees and charges where feedback identifies a better way to implement the Australian Government decision that ASQA fully recover its costs from 1 July 2022.
