Australian Skills Quality Authority
ASQA · National VET Regulator · National Vocational Education and Training Regulator
1 July 2011 – present
The national regulator for vocational education and training, which registers and audits training providers, accredits VET courses and regulates providers of VET and English language courses to overseas students.
How it came into existence
Established on 1 July 2011 under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011, following referrals of power by the states, taking over the registration of training organisations from state and territory regulators: initially for New South Wales and the territories, with the other referring states joining in 2012. Victoria and Western Australia did not refer their powers and kept their own regulators for providers operating only in those states.
Legislation: National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011
Changes during its life
- 14 December 2011Portfolio responsibility passed to the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
- 25 March 2013Portfolio responsibility passed to the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
- 18 September 2013Portfolio responsibility passed to the Department of Industry.
- 23 December 2014Portfolio responsibility passed to the Department of Education and Training.
- 29 May 2019Portfolio responsibility passed to the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business.
- 2020Amendments to its Act replaced the commission of a Chief Commissioner and Commissioners with a single National VET Regulator, also known as the Chief Executive Officer.
- 1 February 2020Portfolio responsibility passed to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.
- 1 July 2022Portfolio responsibility passed to the new Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Main functions
- Registration and audit of registered training organisations
- Accreditation of VET courses
- Regulation of VET and ELICOS providers to overseas students
- Enforcement of the VET Quality Framework
- Strategic reviews of training sectors
Where it sits
In the portfolio of Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
- Type of body
- Non-corporate Commonwealth entity
- Portfolio
- Employment and Workplace Relations
- Accountable authority
- National VET Regulator – National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 section 173(c)
- ABN
- 72 581 678 650
Lineage
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Sources
Primary sources
- List of Commonwealth entities and companies under the PGPA Act, 1 July 2026 (Department of Finance) (as Australian Skills Quality Authority (National Vocational Education and Training Regulator))
- Australian Government Organisations Register (Department of Finance, data.gov.au) (listed from 11 December 2014 to the latest release (30 June 2026))