 | VET FEE-HELP Information
Jschool's procedures and policies relating to VET FEE-HELP applicants and students are as follows:
Fairness procedures
Student grievance procedures
Personal information procedures
Student review procedures
Procedure for applying for re-crediting of FEE-HELP balance and appealing decisions
VET tuition fee repayment policy
Statement of VET tuition assurance
Fairness procedures
Jschool is committed to fairness in its treatment of students and applicants for a place in the Diploma of
Journalism.
In selecting students to enrol in the Diploma of Journalism, all decisions are made using fairness as a key
principle, and are based on the merit of applicants. Prior educational disadvantage is taken into account
where relevant. No income tests are applied.
Jschool's commitment to fairness is reinforced in its Policy 4 ("Access and equity").
Student grievance procedures
Complaints by students and prospective students may be made about academic matters (for example, assessment, progress, curriculum and course awards) or
non-academic matters (for example, concerning perceived victimisation, financial matters, exclusions,
application procedures, breach of privacy).
Policies and procedures, as agreed to and ratified by Jschool's governing body, are as follows:
1. Jschool Diploma of Journalism students and prospective students, including students and those seeking to enrol as students who are entitled to VET FEE-HELP assistance, may complain about any matter which affects them, either academic or non-academic. Complaints about academic matters include such issues as assessment, curriculum, progress in
the course and awards. Complaints about non-academic matters include matters related to use of private
information, discrimination, harassment, vilification, financial matters, payments and fines, application
procedures and exclusions. Students or applicants may complain about any perceived breach of Jschool's
Policy 2 (Student Rights and Responsibilities) or Policy 4 (Access and Equity) or any perception of lack of
fairness in dealing with the complainant. Complaints may relate to any Jschool officers, employees or those
who perform services by or on behalf of Jschool.
2. All complaints, grievances and appeals should be directed in writing to the
Director, Jschool (postal address: GPO Box 1275, Brisbane, 4001; fax: (07) 3036 6148.).
3. Letters are to be acknowledged in writing within four working days of receipt. The complainant will be
offered the opportunity of an interview with a complaints committee.
4. Within ten working days of receipt of the letter of complaint, grievance or appeal, the
matter is to be considered by the director at a meeting with a Jschool staff member
and/or a senior member of industry or a senior vocational education administrator. If the complaint
concerns the director, the complaints committee will comprise a staff
member and a senior member of industry or a senior vocational
education administrator.
5. The complainant is to be contacted if further information is sought, and invited to
provide further details or answer questions in writing. The complainant may also be
invited to attend a meeting of those who are handling the complaint. The complainant may be represented
and/or assisted by a third party.
6. After considering all the material before it, the complaints committee is to make a
decision and advise the director and the complainant in writing. The decision is to be made within fifteen
working days of initial consideration of the complaint.
7. An appeal against the decision may be made within one month to a specified external independent person of seniority in journalism education and/or in the media industry. Name and contact details of the designated external reviewer will be provided upon request to the Jschool director by emailing director@jschool.com.au, telephoning 1300 859975 or writing to the Director, Jschool, GPO Box 1275, Brisbane, 4001.
The designated external person
will review the original decision and will make a final decision within ten working days on the matter,
which is to be communicated in writing to the director for action. The director of Jschool must implement the decision of the external reviewer and give a copy of that decision to the complainant and respondent.
8. All those involved in making decisions on complaints must apply the principle of fairness. There must be
no discrimination or victimisation of a complainant.
9. All material relating to the complaint is to be retained in a confidential complaints file for at least
five years. Parties to the complaint are to have access to these records.
10. There is no charge for the making of complaints or appeals.
11. All students or applicants are entitled to access these procedures, regardless of campus location,
student's place of residence or mode of study.
12. A written copy of Jschool's student grievance and review policy and procedures is to be provided to each Jschool staff member. Existing staff members and new staff members (at their orientation on the first day of service) are to be given training in the details of the policy and procedures, and to sign an undertaking that they understand the policy and the procedures and are willing and able to implement the policy and procedures.
Personal information procedures
Jschool complies with the information privacy principles, as set out in section 14 of the Privacy Act 1988, when it handles personal information obtained for the purposes of VET FEE-HELP assistance and the repayment of loans under the Higher Education Support Act (HESA) [HESA Schedule 1A cl23(1)].
VET personal information is defined as "information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a database), whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably ascertained from the information or opinion; AND obtained or created by an employee of a provider (which includes a person who performs services for or on behalf of the provider) for the purposes of VET FEE-HELP assistance and repayment of VET FEE-HELP loans under HESA" [HESA Schedule 1A cl72].
Jschool and its officers, employees and those who perform services by or on behalf of Jschool, undertake to ensure that:
1. personal information is collected in accordance with information privacy principles 1-3 of the Privacy Act 1988;
2. suitable storage arrangements, including appropriate filing procedures, are in place;
3. suitable security arrangements exist for all records containing personal information;
4. access to a student's own personal information held by Jschool is made available to the student at no charge;
5. records are accurate, up-to-date, complete, and not misleading;
6. where a record is found to be inaccurate, the correction is made;
7. where a student requests that a record be amended because it is inaccurate but the record is found to be accurate, the details of the request for amendment are noted on the record;
8. the personal information is only to be used for the purposes for which it was collected, or for other purposes where expressly allowed by information privacy principle 10 of the Privacy Act 1988; and
9. personal information is disclosed only in accordance with information privacy principle 11 of the Privacy Act 1988.
Access to personal information records:
Any person who has applied for VET FEE-HELP assistance through Jschool is entitled to access any personal
information kept about them by Jschool in relation to their application and repayment of VET FEE-HELP loans.
To seek such information, applicants should submit a request in writing to the Director, Jschool, GPO Box
1275, Brisbane, 4001, or by fax to (07) 3036 6148. No reasons for seeking the information need be given: applicants are entitled to have a copy of these documents. The
letter should include the applicant's contact details, as well as details of any specific documents sought if applicable, or else a request for all documents including personal information.
The applicant will be provided with a copy of his or her personal information within five working days of the request being received. There is no charge for provision of copies of documents concerning personal information.
The applicant may lodge a complaint under Jschool's student grievance procedures in relation to any aspect to do with the content, the handling of, access to, disclosure of, or any other issue related to the applicant's personal information.
Informed consent:
Jschool undertakes that students will be required to give informed consent to their information being provided to the Australian Government. In accordance with its obligations under information privacy principle 2, Jschool will ensure that students are given appropriate privacy notices at the time they provide their personal information (i.e. via online or hard copy application forms and the 'Request for VET FEE-HELP Assistance' form). Jschool will obtain the student's consent to provide personal information to DEEWR. Students will be asked to sign a form containing the following words:
I understand that:
* Jschool: Journalism Education & Training Pty Ltd (Jschool) is collecting the information in this form for the purpose of assessing my entitlement to Commonwealth assistance under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and allocation of a Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) to me;
* Jschool will disclose this information to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) for those purposes;
* DEEWR will store the information securely in the VET FEE-HELP IT System/Higher Education Information Management System;
* DEEWR may disclose the information to the Australian Taxation Office; and
* Jschool and DEEWR will not otherwise disclose the information without my consent unless required or authorised by law.
Student review procedures
In accordance with Clause 46(2) of Schedule 1A of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 Jschool will re-credit a student's FEE-HELP balance with an amount equal to the amounts of VET FEE-HELP assistance that the student received for a VET unit of study if:
(a) the student has been enrolled in the unit with Jschool; and
(b) the student has not completed the requirements for the unit during the period during which he or she undertook, or was to undertake, the unit; and
(c) Jschool is satisfied that special circumstances apply to the student; and
(d) the student applies in writing to Jschool for re-crediting of the FEE-HELP balance; and
(e) either:
(i) (in terms of clause 49 of Schedule 1A) the application is made before the end of 12 months after the date at which Jschool has given notice to the student that withdrawal from the unit has taken effect or, if notice was not issued, 12 months after the period during which the student undertook, or was to undertake, the unit; or
(ii) Jschool waives the requirement that the application be made before the end of that period, on the ground that it would not be, or was not, possible for the application to be made before the end of that period.
As specified in Clause 48 of Schedule 1A, special circumstances apply to the student if and only if the VET provider receiving the application is satisfied that circumstances apply that:
(a) are beyond the student's control; and
(b) do not make their full impact on the student until on or after the census date for the VET unit of study in question; and
(c) make it impracticable for the student to complete the requirements for the unit in the period during which the student undertook, or was to undertake, the unit.
Reasons will be given in writing for decisions on applications and appeals.
The Director of Jschool is to advise the Secretary of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) in writing within five working days of the decision to re-credit the applicant's FEE-HELP balance.
Records of all applications and appeals are to be retained by Jschool for five years.
Reviews of decisions:
Any student may seek a review of a decision by Jschool not to recredit or remit their FEE-HELP balance.
To apply for a review, a student should write a letter to the Director, Jschool, stating that he or she is
appealing the original decision. The student should give reasons for the request for an appeal, and provide
any relevant evidence. The application should be made within 30 days of receiving the original written
decision. No fee is charged.
Within five working days, Jschool will provide a written acknowledgement of the request for a review. As
part of this acknowledgement, the student will be given the opportunity to appear in person before the
reviewer, with or without a third party of the student's choice, in order to provide further information. The review is conducted
by a designated person, the Director and Principal, who is senior to the officer who made the original
decision.
The reviewer will make a decision about the appeal and will inform the student within 45 days of receiving
the appeal. If the student has not been advised of a result within 45 days, this means that the reviewer
has confirmed the original decision. Jschool will inform the Secretary of DEEWR in writing within five working days if the appeal results in the decision to re-credit the applicant's FEE-HELP balance.
The reviewer will inform the student seeking a review of his or her right to apply to the Administrative
Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review of the reviewable VET decision. The reviewer will provide to the
student contact details of the nearest Administrative Appeals Registry and the approximate costs of lodging
an appeal with the AAT.
If the student lodges an application for reconsideration to the AAT the Secretary of DEEWR (or delegate) will be the respondent. Once DEEWR has received notification from the AAT that a person has applied for reconsideration the Secretary must lodge certain documents with the AAT within 28 days. Upon receipt of notification from DEEWR that an appeal has been lodged with the AAT, Jschool will supply DEEWR with the originals of all documents held that are relevant to the appeal within 5 working days.
Procedure for applying for re-crediting of FEE-HELP balance and appealing decisions
Students who find, after the census date has passed, that because of special circumstances they are unable to complete the requirements of a VET unit or units of study, may apply to have their FEE-HELP balance re-credited.
If you are a Jschool student applying for re-crediting of your FEE-HELP balance, you are invited to discuss the matter with Jschool's Director and/or Fee-Help officer, who will provide assistance and advice relating to the process. The steps you should follow in making and appealing an application are as follows:
1. Write a letter addressed to Fee-Help Officer, Jschool, GPO Box 1275, Brisbane, 4001, headed "Application for re-crediting of FEE-HELP balance". (The designated Jschool Fee-Help officer is currently Ms D. Bartlett.) In this letter you should state that you have not been able to complete the requirements of a VET unit or units of study, and should fully explain the reasons, explaining why you consider these to be special circumstances. In your letter you should show how the circumstances were beyond your control and did not make their impact until after the census date for the unit or units, and you should explain how these circumstances made it impracticable for you to complete the requirements for the unit or units. You should include supporting documents, such as letters from health professionals or counsellors.
2. Your application must be submitted within 12 months after the period during which you undertook or were to undertake the unit (or, if you have received a notice from Jschool that withdrawal from the unit or units has taken effect, within 12 months of date specified in that notice for withdrawal having taken effect).
3. Jschool does not impose any charge on you for lodging an application or for lodging an appeal against the result of the initial application.
4. A written acknowledgement of receipt of your application will be issued to you within five working days of receipt of your application by Jschool. (Please contact Jschool if acknowledgement is not received within the specified time, to ensure that your application has been received.)
5. Your application will be considered by a specified Jschool officer. If considered necessary, you will be asked to provide additional information or evidence.
6. A decision on your application will be made within ten working days of receipt of your application. You will be informed in writing of this decision. Reasons will be given with the decision.
7. If you wish to appeal the decision, you should, within 30 days of receiving the original decision, write to the Director, Jschool, GPO Box 1275, Brisbane, 4001, with a letter headed "FEE-HELP Appeal". (The Director of Jschool is the designated Fee-Help Review Officer.) In your letter you should explain why you are appealing the original decision and you should provide all relevant information and evidence in support of your appeal.
8. A written acknowledgement of receipt of your appeal will be issued to you within five working days of receipt of your appeal by Jschool. (Please contact Jschool if acknowledgement is not received within the specified time, to ensure that your appeal has been received.)
9. The appeal will be considered by the Director and Principal of Jschool, who is the designated Fee-Help Review Officer of Jschool.
10. You will be given the opportunity to appear in person before the
reviewer, with or without a third party of your choice, in order to provide further information.
11. The reviewer will inform you in writing of the decision within 45 days of receiving
the appeal. Reasons will be given by the reviewer for the decision.
12. Jschool's reviewer will inform you in writing within 45 days of receiving
your appeal of your right to apply to the Administrative
Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review of the reviewable VET decision. The reviewer will provide you with contact details of the nearest Administrative Appeals Registry and the approximate costs of lodging an appeal with the AAT. (If you lodge an appeal, the Secretary of DEEWR (or delegate) will be the respondent. Jschool will provide DEEWR with originals of all relevant documents when informed by DEEWR of the appeal.)
VET tuition fee repayment policy
Where a student who withdraws from a Jschool unit of study on or before the designated census date for that
unit, Jschool undertakes to refund in full any payment of the tuition fee which the student has made on or
before that date. This undertaking is specified in Jschool's Policy 1, paragraph 14.
This undertaking will not apply where Jschool has ceased to provide the VET unit of study as a result of ceasing to
provide the VET course of study of which the unit forms part, and where VET tuition assurance
requirements apply to Jschool at the time Jschool ceased to provide the VET unit of study and where the student chooses
the VET course assurance option in relation to the VET unit of study which Jschool has ceased to provide.
Statement of VET tuition assurance
1. Under the provisions of Schedule 1A of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) and Chapter 3 of the
VET Provider Guidelines, Jschool: Journalism Education & Training Pty Ltd (Jschool) (the First Provider) must comply
with the VET Tuition Assurance requirements. This is to protect students in the event that Jschool ceases
to provide a VET course of study in which a student is enrolled. The meaning of "ceasing to provide a VET
course of study" is set out at paragraph 3.1.25 of the VET Provider Guidelines. A copy of these is
available from: VET Provider Guidelines.
2. In the event that Jschool ceases to provide a VET course of study in which a student is enrolled the
student is entitled to a choice of:
a) an offer of a place in a similar VET course of study with a Second Provider without any requirement
to pay the Second Provider any VET tuition fee for any replacement VET units (this is known as the "VET
Course Assurance Option");
or
b) a refund of his or her up-front VET payments for any VET unit of study that the student begins but
does not complete because Jschool ceases to provide the VET course of study of which the VET unit of study forms
part (this is known as the "VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option")
3. Jschool has met the VET tuition assurance requirements as specified in the VET Provider Guidelines
through its current membership of the Australian Council for Private Education & Training (ACPET) VET
Tuition Assurance Scheme.
Contact details for the ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme are:
Australian Council for Private Education & Training,
Suite 101, Level 1, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, Vic, 3002, Australia
(Postal address: PO Box 551, East Melbourne, Vic, 8002)
Telephone: (03) 9416 1355; Toll-free within Australia 1800 657 644; Fax: (03) 9416 1895
E-mail: acpet@acpet.edu.au
Website: www.acpet.edu.au
4. If Jschool ceases to provide a VET course of study, the ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme will send a
student enrolled in the VET course of study a Written VET Tuition Assurance Offer (the Offer) advising the
student of the options available under the VET tuition assurance requirements. The Offer will include
directions that the student must follow in order to notify the ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme of the
choice they have made for each affected VET unit of study. The ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme will provide this
offer within twenty business days after it knows, or should know by reasonable inquiries that Jschool has
ceased to provide the VET course of study.
5. The VET course of study for which Jschool has the ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme membership is:
Diploma of Journalism.
6. A student may choose either:
The VET Course Assurance Option:
7. Under the VET course assurance option, a student will be offered a place in a similar VET course of
study by the ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme. If the student accepts this option, the ACPET VET Tuition
Assurance Scheme will make all necessary arrangements to ensure a student is able to enrol with the Second
Provider in the similar VET course of study. This offered VET course will lead to the same or a comparable
qualification without any requirement on the part of the student to pay the Second Provider any VET tuition
fee for any replacement VET units of study (that is, VET units of study that the student had begun but not completed because the
VET course of study ceased to be offered). A student will receive full credit from the Second Provider for any VET
units of study successfully completed at Jschool.
8. The Second Provider nominated by the ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme may have different VET tuition
fees to the fees the student would have paid for VET units of study which were part of the VET course of
study Jschool ceased to provide but which the student had not yet started studying.
9. A student is not obliged to enrol in a VET course of study with a Second Provider offered by the ACPET
VET Tuition Assurance Scheme under the VET Course Assurance Option. However, if he/she enrols with any
other VET provider there is no obligation on that VET provider to offer full credit transfer for the VET
units of study completed with Jschool or to offer replacement VET unit/s of study free of charge.
or
The VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option
10. Under the VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option, the ACPET VET Tuition Assurance Scheme undertakes to pay
the student the total of any up-front VET payments already paid by the student for any VET units of study
the student has begun but not completed because the VET course ceased to be offered. Students selecting
this option will also have their FEE-HELP balance re-credited for the uncompleted VET units of study.
The full set of Jschool procedures and policies is held in hard copy form in Jschool's VET FEE-HELP Manual at Jschool's city premises (82 Ann Street, Brisbane) and may be inspected on request. These policies are to be accessible by and communicated to all students, applicants and staff. The procedures and policies are available online at www.jschool.com.au/feehelp-info.php.
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