ASQA welcomes Federal Court decision against GQA, Adam Wadi

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has welcomed a decision by the Federal Court to impose substantial financial penalties on Get Qualified Australia Pty Ltd (GQA) and its sole director, Mr Adam Wadi, for multiple breaches of the Australian consumer law.

The penalties were handed down after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) brought proceedings against the company and Mr Wadi for engaging in false or misleading representations and misleading or deceptive conduct in the vocational education and training (VET) sector.

ASQA Chief Commissioner Mark Paterson said the action bought by the ACCC complemented regulatory action taken by ASQA earlier this year.

“On 8 February 2017 ASQA announced that it had cancelled the registrations of three GQA-owned registered training organisations

• Get Qualified Australia-Adelaide Pty Ltd (RTO ID 41068) trading as Get Qualified Australia Trades Academy and Get Qualified Trades Academy;
• Get Qualified Australia-Canberra Pty Ltd (RTO ID 41093) trading as Get Qualified Australia College; and
• Get Qualified Australia-Brisbane Pty Ltd (RTO ID 41094) trading as Get Qualified Australia Institute.

“ASQA scrutiny of the three training providers identified serious non-compliance with the requirements of the VET Quality Framework, which is a condition of registration. ASQA’s decisions came into effect on 10 March 2017.”

Mr Paterson said ASQA had worked closely with the ACCC and other Australian consumer law regulators to respond to unethical and inappropriate behaviour by training providers.

GQA was placed into liquidation on 17 March 2017. ASQA has not yet been provided with copies of student records held by the training providers it owned. Former students of the GQA training providers may take any completed assessments or statements of attainment that they currently hold to another Registered Training Organisation for credit and/or recognition of prior learning (RPL).