ASQA has recently released an important report on its regulatory activities, as well as its latest regulatory risk priorities (Regulatory Risk Priorities 2025-26).
Starting with the risk priorities for the sector and they are similar to those identified previously by ASQA:
- Shortened Course Duration
- Student Work Placement
- Non-genuine providers and Bad Faith Operators
- Recognition of Prior Learning
- Academic Integrity, and the
- Marketing, Recruitment and Delivery of International Education
These risks are considered to be most prevalent in aviation, the early childhood education sector, and in “high risk work licensing industries.”
One risk from the 2024 risk priorities has been removed, online delivery, which is good news for great VET providers delivering great online courses. ASQA’s ongoing concern about the volume of learning in some online courses is now being addressed in ASQA’s focus on Shortened Course Duration.
The report ASQA released is its Regulation Report (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025). It provides the following details of ASQA’s regulatory activities in the last financial year.
- 257 applications for initial registration received (200 fewer than in each of the last two years)
- 908 applications for re-registration, and
- 3,933 applications to change scope of registration (fewer than in previous years – which may relate to fewer Training Package updates in the last 12 months than in previous years as well as RTOs potentially looking to make fewer changes to the courses they offer).
ASQA rejected 85 applications for initial registration, 32 applications for re-registration and 61 changes to scope. A number of applications were also withdrawn: 127 for initial registration, 21 for re-registration and 188 for changes to scope.
There was an increase in course accreditation activity (108 applications received for new courses, re-accreditation and amendments to existing courses, compared with 80 and 92 in previous years), potentially indicating the sector is responding to new skills development needs as the world of work rapidly changes.
A decline in complaints being received about providers is a good thing (122 in 2024-25 compared with 532 in 2022-23 and 358 in 2023-24) but unfortunately there has been significant growth in tip-offs being received. The VET Tip-off line came into existence on 4 October 2023 and in the first nine months it received 2,092 tip-offs. That increased to 3,127 in the 12 months to 30 June 2025. That is an average of 235 tips per month in the first nine months and 260 per month in the next year.
In response to all of these tips, ASQA is undertaking fewer assessment and monitoring activities (797 in 2024-25 compared with 992 and 827 in the preceding years).
ASQA’s response to non-compliances also appears to have shifted – with fewer written directions being issued (192 last year compared with 318 in the previous year) but it has increased the number of ‘cancellation of registration’ and ‘rejection of registration renewal’ decisions it has taken. Collectively in the last year ASQA issued 138 of these cancellation/rejection of renewal decisions compared to just 82 and 63 in the preceding years.
ASQA states that at the end of June 2025 they were managing more than “200 serious matters (related to 158 providers) where the nature of the issues and conduct in question threaten the integrity of the VET sector”. Sixty percent of these serious matters relate to international VET providers.
ASQA was also dealing with a further 44 investigations into “potential breaches of the NVR Act by non-registered organisations relating to misleading advertising practices and qualification fraud. This includes supporting investigations by Victorian and NSW police into providers and individuals of mutual interest.”
