ASQA have made some changes to way they will be conducting their RTO Audit.

Notice of intent

During your RTO Audit at present, if an RTO is found non-compliant at a compliance audit ASQA provide an opportunity to recify. In most instances ASQA will give the RTO the opportunity to submit rectification evidence before issuing a notice of intent.

• From 1 August 2016, if a compliance audit identifies highly concerning non-compliances, your RTO may be issued with a ‘Notice of intent to impose administrative sanction’.
• You may then have a period of up to 20 working days to respond to the notice. Of course this means submitting any supporting evidence before a decision is made.

This change aligns ASQA’s approach to compliance audits with the existing approach to application audits. RTOs’ rights to natural justice before a final decision to impose a sanction are not affected by this change in approach.

New model

• A new model that will take a more holistic view and focus on following the ‘journey’ of a student through their engagement with a provider. Through this model, providers will be more accountable for redressing harm caused by non-compliance.

Written direction

• If ASQA identifies non-compliances that are not considered serious during a compliance or application audit, ASQA may issue the provider with a written direction, requiring it to:
  • address the non-compliances within a specified period, and
  • retain evidence that this has occurred.

For further information

go to the ASQA page.