Your Policies Are Still Out of Date. Here’s Why.

In this powerful follow-up episode, Angela Connell-Richards revisits the policy topic with a reality check: even after updates, many RTO policies still fail to meet the new 2025 Standards. Why? Because they lack implementation, contextualisation, or evidence.

Key points discussed:
 ✅ Why many “new” policies are still non-compliant
 ✅ The missing links between documentation and delivery
 ✅ How to embed your policies into team culture and student experience
 ✅ Simple tools to review and update effectively

Angela challenges you to go beyond cosmetic updates and build policies that drive quality, not just paperwork.

Listen now and download Angela’s free Post-July Policy Audit Guide to bring your documentation in line with real-world compliance.

 Join host Angela Connell-Richards as she opens each episode with a burst of insight and inspiration. Discover why compliance is your launchpad to success, not a limitation. 

Wrap up with gratitude and guidance. Subscribe, leave a review, and join our community as we continue supporting your compliance journey in vocational education. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Compliance Reality Check
• 1:47 mon Policy Failures in RTOs
• 4:56 e Purpose of Policies
• 5:41 e-Step Framework for Effective Policies
• 7:56 A Audit Expectations
• 8:51 ources and Weekly Challenge

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:23

Hey, superheroes, and welcome back to the RTO Superhero Podcast. I'm your host, angela Connell-Richards, and today we're going to have a bit of a reality check, because, even though it's now into July and most RTOs have technically updated their policies and procedures for the 2025 standards, I need to say this out loud Most of these non-compliances are still non-compliant. Yep, even the freshly rewritten policies and procedures that you have in place can be non-compliant. And that's not to scare you, it's to empower you, because in this episode, I'm going to show you why these policies are falling short and how to fix them before ASQA becomes a knocking. We'll talk about the missing link between your documentation and your delivery, how to make policies actually usable, understood and followed, and why contextualisation and evidence are now non-negotiable. Let's stop ticking boxes and start building real compliance systems that work. Updated doesn't mean compliant. Let's start here. Just because you've updated your policies doesn't mean that they meet the new requirements. I've reviewed dozens of so-called new policies over the last couple of months and here's what I've seen Old terminology still used, referring to the old standards 2015.

Speaker 1: 1:59

Templates copied and pasted, with no changes for delivery context they've just changed the footer. No version control or documented reason for the update. No evidence of rollout, training or implementation. That's not compliance. That's cosmetic compliance and ASCLE will spot it immediately. The outcome standards now require you to provide accurate, transparent information. Embed policies into operations. Use policies to drive quality improvement, keep evidence of training, version updates and implementation. If your documents aren't doing that, they're just paperwork. Where most RTO policies still fail. Let me walk you through the five biggest gaps I'm seeing, even in updated policy suites. One outdated language and standards references. Many policies still refer to clauses and requirements from the 2015 standards. If your documents mention standard 1.8 or uses phrases like amount of training without alignment to the 2025 structure, update them immediately. Two no contextualisation.

Speaker 1: 3:23

A complaints policy that looks like it came off Google is not enough. Or, even worse, chat GPT. Your policies must reflect your learner cohort, your delivery modes, your term, team structure, your systems and tools. If your policy says students can lodge complaints through a paper form but you only run online courses, there's a mismatch. Three no implementation evidence. If you updated your policies but didn't log the version update, notify your team, conduct training then ASQA will consider them not implemented. Four no alignment with practice. If your policy says we validate assessments twice a year but you haven't run a single validation session in 12 months. That's a breach. Five no continuous review cycle. Policies should be reviewed at least annually and updated based on student feedback, internal audits, staff input, changes in legislation or standards.

Speaker 1: 4:35

The real purpose of a policy. Let's take a breath and remember something really important A policy isn't just a requirement, it's a tool. It's there to guide consistent decision-making, protect students and staff, ensure fairness and transparency, drive improvement in how you operate. If no one reads your policies, they don't work. If your team can't explain what's in them, they're useless, and if you're not following them, they're a liability. How to embed policies into culture and operations? So how do we fix this? How do we move from static documents to living, breathing systems?

Speaker 1: 5:29

Here's my five-step framework. Step one start with your team. Introduce each key policy through a short PD session. Use real-world scenarios and ask how would this play out in our RTO? Record attendance and log it in your training register. Step two align policy to practice. Cross-check your policy statements against what's actually happening on the ground. If your complaints policy promises a seven-day turnaround, can you prove that that's what actually happens? If your learner support policy outlines case management, who owns this role? Step three link to systems For each policy. Ask where does this show up in our day-to-day systems? This might be in ClickUp, your LMS, your enrolment forms or SharePoint, for example, your marketing policy should link directly to your course flyer, checklist and web audit process.

Speaker 1: 6:38

Step four monitor and review. Use your compliance calendar to review two to three policies per month. Check are they still accurate? Do they align to what we actually do in practice? Has anything changed? Make notes of updates, even small ones, and version control everything clearly.

Speaker 1: 7:04

Step five engage students. Yes, even students. Add summaries of key policies to your orientation process LMS dashboards, email welcome sequences. Lms dashboards, email welcome sequences. When students know how to give feedback, make complaints or access support, they're more likely to engage and less likely to complain to ASQA. What ASQA will look for at audit?

Speaker 1: 7:35

In audit, asqa will want to see that your policies are up to date and version controlled, that they're consistent with your practice and evidence that your team understands them, that you've reviewed and updated them regularly and that they're accessible to students and stakeholders. And if there's a policy listed in your TAS website or documents and it isn't in place or being followed, that is an immediate compliance risk. To help you take action today, I've created a post-July policy audit guide. This tool will help you review your policy structure, check for outdated references, test alignment with current operations, plan a policy review and staff training schedule. You can download it at vivacitycomau or grab the link in the show notes. Use it with your team, your consultant or as part of your internal self-assurance review.

Speaker 1: 8:39

So here's your challenge for this week. Don't assume your policies are compliant just because they're new. Make sure they're true, especially if you've purchased them. Are they aligned? Are they understood? Are they followed by all? Are they documented? And if the answer's not yet, that's okay, you've still got time. Thanks for joining me today on the RTO Superhero Podcast. Next week we're talking about self-assurance, not just what it means, but how to actually build a system that works. Until then, stay compliant and keep thriving.