Captain Cook College fined more than $30 million for overcharging 5,500 students for courses most never logged in to
An Brisbane-based vocational college will pay $30 million in fines after engaging in "unconscionable conduct" where thousands of students racked up debts for courses that most never logged on for.
Captain Cook College faces tens of millions of dollars in penalties after it was taken to Federal Court by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The college, which has received millions from the Federal Government, removed consumer safeguards in 2015 from its enrolment and withdrawal processes that are designed to protect students from being overcharged.
This led to about 5,500 students facing debts under the former VET FEE-HELP loan program totalling more than $60m.
The ACCC said the 'vast majority' of affected Captain Cook College students failed to complete any part of their course and about 86 per cent never logged in to their online course.
The Federal Government was forced to waive the debts of the affected students and withheld some payments from the college.
ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the college's actions had ramifications for both the students and the government.
'Captain Cook College's conduct not only cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, but it also caused distress to the thousands of consumers enrolled in their courses who for many years were told they had significant debts to the Government,' Ms Cass-Gottlieb said in a statement.
The college has been fined $20m for unconscionable conduct and $750,000 for making false or misleading representations to students.
Its parent company Site Group International is facing a $10m penalty while Site's former chief operating officer Blake Wills has received a $400,000 fine and is banned from managing corporations for the coming three years.
Ms Cass-Gottlieb said the consumer watchdog was pleased with the outcome as it 'sends a message to all businesses, including those seeking to obtain government funding, that they must comply with the laws which protect consumers'.
'The judgment also shows the ACCC's determination to pursue individuals in appropriate cases,' she said.
The ACCC first began proceedings against Captain Cook College in 2018 and it was first found guilty in 2021.
Captain Cook College, Site Group and Mr Wills appealed this decision, but it was upheld in August 2024.
The college was established in 1998 and acquired by Site in 2014.
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35 minutes ago
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The Advertiser
35 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
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Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed." Police are reviewing links between historic sexual assaults and missing Bathurst teen Jessica Small as they inch closer to a second inquest. NSW Police revealed on May 7 that new information had come to light in the case, identifying additional witnesses in Jessica's case. Those witnesses are now working with the NSW Crime Commission to progress the investigation. Jessica Small, aged 15, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 1997 after attending the Amuse Me amusement centre on Russell Street, Bathurst with a female friend. The girls were attempting to hitchhike home and entered a white-coloured sedan driven by an unknown man. Police were told the man stopped the car on Hereford Street, Bathurst and turned off the headlights before assaulting both girls, attempting to detain them in the vehicle. Jessica's friend was able to escape and alert nearby residents, but the car drove off with Jessica still inside. Investigators believe the last sighting of the vehicle was near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, travelling toward Hill End. Head of homicide, Sydney-based Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said police are now looking at a number of sexual assaults which occurred in the Bathurst area around 1997, and the possibility they are related to Jessica's abduction. As the investigation progresses, he said they are appealing to anyone who may have had reservations about speaking with police at the time to come forward now. In an interview with A Current Affair, Supt Doueihi said police obtained information about the historic sexual assaults, which, while resolved, are now being revisited as part of Jessica's case. "We believe that this matter may somehow be related to those matters. "This investigation has never really been closed. It has been an active investigation for numerous years." Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed." Police are reviewing links between historic sexual assaults and missing Bathurst teen Jessica Small as they inch closer to a second inquest. NSW Police revealed on May 7 that new information had come to light in the case, identifying additional witnesses in Jessica's case. Those witnesses are now working with the NSW Crime Commission to progress the investigation. Jessica Small, aged 15, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 1997 after attending the Amuse Me amusement centre on Russell Street, Bathurst with a female friend. The girls were attempting to hitchhike home and entered a white-coloured sedan driven by an unknown man. Police were told the man stopped the car on Hereford Street, Bathurst and turned off the headlights before assaulting both girls, attempting to detain them in the vehicle. Jessica's friend was able to escape and alert nearby residents, but the car drove off with Jessica still inside. Investigators believe the last sighting of the vehicle was near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, travelling toward Hill End. Head of homicide, Sydney-based Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said police are now looking at a number of sexual assaults which occurred in the Bathurst area around 1997, and the possibility they are related to Jessica's abduction. As the investigation progresses, he said they are appealing to anyone who may have had reservations about speaking with police at the time to come forward now. In an interview with A Current Affair, Supt Doueihi said police obtained information about the historic sexual assaults, which, while resolved, are now being revisited as part of Jessica's case. "We believe that this matter may somehow be related to those matters. "This investigation has never really been closed. It has been an active investigation for numerous years." Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed." Police are reviewing links between historic sexual assaults and missing Bathurst teen Jessica Small as they inch closer to a second inquest. NSW Police revealed on May 7 that new information had come to light in the case, identifying additional witnesses in Jessica's case. Those witnesses are now working with the NSW Crime Commission to progress the investigation. Jessica Small, aged 15, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 1997 after attending the Amuse Me amusement centre on Russell Street, Bathurst with a female friend. The girls were attempting to hitchhike home and entered a white-coloured sedan driven by an unknown man. Police were told the man stopped the car on Hereford Street, Bathurst and turned off the headlights before assaulting both girls, attempting to detain them in the vehicle. Jessica's friend was able to escape and alert nearby residents, but the car drove off with Jessica still inside. Investigators believe the last sighting of the vehicle was near Duramana Road and Willott Close, Eglinton, travelling toward Hill End. Head of homicide, Sydney-based Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said police are now looking at a number of sexual assaults which occurred in the Bathurst area around 1997, and the possibility they are related to Jessica's abduction. As the investigation progresses, he said they are appealing to anyone who may have had reservations about speaking with police at the time to come forward now. In an interview with A Current Affair, Supt Doueihi said police obtained information about the historic sexual assaults, which, while resolved, are now being revisited as part of Jessica's case. "We believe that this matter may somehow be related to those matters. "This investigation has never really been closed. It has been an active investigation for numerous years." Supt Doueihi said police had utilised the coercive powers of the NSW Crime Commission, telling A Current Affair "they have additional powers and resources that the NSW Police do not have, and we've called upon their services to assist us with this investigation". Almost 28 years after her daughter's abduction, Ricki Small clings to the hope that one day she will be able to bring Jessica home. And news earlier this month that a second inquest is planned into her daughter's 1997 disappearance has renewed her hope it will happen. "That's the most important thing to me," Ms Small said. "We need this solved so Jess can have dignity, peace and rest." She said she was glad police are still on Jessica's case. "Obviously I'm really happy with the new inquest," she said. Reflecting on the almost 28 years since Jessica was taken, she said it's like time has stood still while also moving on. "All these years have gone by; really, I'm amazed I'm still standing. "It's been a horrendous road." She said the trauma is there every single day. "I still live in Bathurst and there's things that remind me all the time. "There's the park [where the girls got in the car] and everywhere in Bathurst really. "I think where she would be and where she could be. "It's a sad existence, one part moving on in life while another will always be with Jess, back in October 1997. "Even my grandson Josh, he's 30 now. "He was two when she was taken. "Josh has kids himself now, which makes Jess a great-aunty. "The years, they all add up. "You always wonder what if. "Obviously, I've done some grieving over the years and now I would dearly love for the case to be solved and to bring her home. "That's what's most important to me, to bring her home. "We need this solved. We need her home so she can have dignity, rest and peace." But even if that happens, Ms Small knows that would lead to yet another road of grief for her. "It really never ends, it never will," she said. "But we love her, we want her home." She said any new witnesses "could shed a light on things" and that's what she is hanging her hope on. "I'm hoping for the best," she said, adding the years had taken their toll. "But I can't live back then [in 1997] and it can't be fixed."
