The whole training field has been a debacle of epic neo liberal proportions.
Since 3/1996 when Howard got in, the writing has been on the wall. Every effort has been made to starve " the left wing" uni and training system to a market only right wing profit system.
Student unions were effectively banned and so thus their advocacy of students and quality. This was all part
Of a long term LNP plan. At same time doors were opened to mass foreign students, quality fell through the floor and the gov were fully aware. Fees were drastically raised, Austudy severely restricted, and Academics discovered tenure was only for the connected few.
The gov of Lnp loaded uni boards and regulators with LNP hacks .
A lot of the new RTO's, surprise had previous political mates as owners.
Billions were cut from budgets and handed over to private providers for very very very small results.
As soon as they could the LNP gamed the federal training and state Tafe by insisting they competed with private to get funding. As their ideology says public is evil and must be stopped from getting money the privateers want.
States bought this bullshite and opened education to competition but fully in knowledge the public system was hobbled by the rules.
Result Tafe is a one legged goat in a paddock of gold plated sharks.
We have trashed our whole education system, and quality is what luxury car you drive.
Today is still a captured system.
Just like social services and medicine, if they can't ban it they will wreck it by private profiteering.
The gov does not want anyone but the rich getting a quality education, it reinforces their power for generations.
If you don't have rich parents you will work lots of jobs to pay rent and bills to study or last long enough to get AUstudy. Most wait 6 months for approval by which time they might have left uni.
The rich are deserving - just ask them