Consumer Protection Policy

Version 3.2 | August 2019

Policy

National College Australia provides consumer protection as part of its provision and delivery of quality training and assessment products and services for the program Smart and Skilled NSW; and Skills Tasmania.

National College Australia, as a Registered Training Organisation has an obligation, and is committed, to meet the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015, which require consumer protection processes and policices to be in place.

Clients therefore can expect that the service they receive before, during and after training and assessment activity will be of a quality consistent with these requirements.

National College Australia has an obligation to ensure that the rights and obligations of consumers are protected and consumers are informed.

We do this by:

•providing the training and support necessary to allow learners to achieve competency
• providing a quality training and assessment experience for all consumers
• providing a clear and accessible feedback and consumer protection process; and
• maintaining procedures for protecting customers’ personal information.

Scope

National College Australia applies this policy to all liaisons with all students, prospective students, employers, prospective employers, host workplaces, staff and partner organisations.

Relevant Legislation

National College Australia complies with the relevant Commonwealth and State Legislation and regulations to ensure consumer protection, including but not limited to the following:

•Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015
•Smart and Skilled NSW Quality Framework
•Smart and Skilled Consumer Protection Strategy
•Training and Workforce Development Act 2013
•Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998
•Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.
•Australian Consumer Law

Relevant National College Australia Policy and Procedure

National College Australia implements the following internal policies and procedures to ensure consumer protection:

•Complaints and Appeals Policy
•Quality Program Policy
•Terms & Conditions
•Assessment Policy
•Privacy Policy

Responsibilities

National College Australia is responsible for providing:

•accurate information to customers about their services and fees;
•information to customers about their rights and responsibilities;
•a complaints and appeals procedure, and information to customers about how to access this;
•a dedicated Institute Consumer Protection Officer ( the Operations Manager), and making their contact details readily available;
•information to customers about the collection and use of their personal information;
•information to customers about how to update their personal information.

National College Australia client’s obligations are to:

•provide accurate and complete information;
•update their details as appropriate;
•pay any fees required within the agreed time frames;
•behave in a responsible and ethical manner;
•be aware of their rights and responsibilities;
•access and use the complaints and appeals process.

Reporting

The Principal Executive Officer (PEO) has ultimate responsibility for implementing this policy. Any complaints about breaches of this policy will be dealt with seriously, confidentially and quickly.

National College Australia clients, in the first instance, should refer to the complaints and appeals process.

National College Australia customers can contact and seek assistance from the Head of Operations.

If issues cannot be resolved at the College, National College Australia clients may wish to seek assistance or a review from an independent organisation such as:

Training Services NSW:

Training Services NSW Customer Support Centre

Ph: 13 28 11 www.training.nsw.gov.au

ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority)

Ph: 1300 701 801 www.asqa.gov.au

NSW Ombudsman

Ph: 02 9286 1000 www.ombo.nsw.gov.au

NSW Fair Trading

Ph: 13 77 88 www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au

Tasmaina Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading

Ph: 03 6165 3400 www.consumer.tas.gov.au

Ombudsman Tasmania

Ph: 1800 001 170 ombudsman@ombudsman.tas.gov.au

Please Note: this information is for guidance purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for formal legal advice.

Date	Document Version	DocumentRevision History	Author/Reviser
30.8.16	V2.0	Template and content revised	Quality Coordinator
16.8.16	V2.1	State Legislation, specific to TAS added	Quality Coordinator
30.5.17	V3.0	Logo and style guide update	Quality Coordinator
12.9.18	V3.1	New logo inserted	Q&C Manager
27.8.19	V3.2	Related documents – CHANGED fees and refunds policy to T&C and amended titles for policys that were not consistent.	HOO