Generally, a registered training organisation must not issue a VET qualification or VET statement of attainment to an individual after 2014 unless the individual has a student identifier.

Generally, a registered higher education provider must not confer a regulated higher education award on an individual after 2022 unless the individual has been assigned a student identifier.

The Student Identifiers Registrar must assign a student identifier to an individual on application.

On request by an individual, or an organisation, body or person involved with vocational education and training or higher education, the Registrar may verify that an identifier is the individual's student identifier, or give the individual's student identifier.

Records of student identifiers must be protected from misuse. Collection, use and disclosure of an individual's student identifier without the individual's consent is prohibited, unless it is authorised by this Act. The Information Commissioner may deal with breaches of these rules as interferences with privacy under the Privacy Act 1988 .

On request, the Registrar may give all or part of an authenticated VET transcript of an individual who has a student identifier to the individual or a registered training organisation, VET - related body or other entity. However, access by such an organisation, body or entity is subject to access controls set by the individual.

There are civil penalty provisions for certain conduct relating to:

  (a)   applying for student identifiers; or

  (b)   altering an authenticated VET transcript or an extract from such a transcript; or

  (c)   making a document purporting to be an authenticated VET transcript or an extract from such a transcript.

Those civil penalty provisions are enforceable under the Regulatory Powers Act. Infringement notices may be given under that Act for contraventions of those civil penalty provisions.