The owner of a private college that allegedly signed up illiterate, disabled students in Aboriginal missions to tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt transferred $22 million to his family's account in one day, the federal court has heard.
Amarjit Singh, the owner of Unique International College in Granville, told the court he was "giving the gift" of education to the 3600 students the college signed up between 2014 and 2015.
But the court heard that 3138 students, some of whom were allegedly induced through free laptops, never completed a single unit of any of the college's management or marketing courses, costing taxpayers more than $47 million in VET FEE Help student loans.
In his defence, Mr Singh said that a transfer from one online learning management system to another was the reason for the limited contact with students.
"We are a genuine education provider," he said. "I know education can change peoples' lives."
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges that because many students targeted by Unique were disabled or barely literate, many of those public loans worth up to $25,000 each will never be repaid, saddling students with debt and putting the public millions of dollars out of pocket.
Acting for the ACCC, Norman O'Bryan SC alleged that Mr Singh's college acted unconscionably to maximise the number of students enrolled in the "spectacularly profitable business" that "was unique in more ways than one".
"The only gifts that changed peoples lives are the gifts you gave [to your family] of the millions of dollars of profit you earned," said Mr O'Bryan. Mr Singh denied the allegation.
On Wednesday, the court was told that on one day in November 2015, Mr Singh transferred $22 million from his business account to his family's account. Mr Singh told the court he was responsible for the transfer.
This came on top of the transfer of a $5.7 million Kenthurst property owned by Unique International College to another family member in July 2015.
Mr O'Bryan said Mr Singh was "pouring money into the pockets of his family," through "a serious manipulation of public revenue."
"The actual harm is a harm done to the nation," said Mr O'Bryan. "You didn't care less whether your supposed students were communicating with their trainers."
Mr Singh denied the allegations and said he was concerned about the progression of students throughout 2015 after he became aware of a completion rate of 6.5 per cent. He added that he believed Unique's completion rates where in line with the rest of the sector.
The court heard that that the college grew from 398 students in 2013 to more than 3000 a year later.
"It increased nine-fold," said Mr O'Bryan. "But [Mr Singh] doesn't need to put on many more staff at all."
Mr Singh said evidence of his staff's support was their presence at the hearing because they believed in his passion for education.
"I am not saying that I am 100 per cent satisfied, but I am willing to work together with the industry and the department, within the VET sector, to continue to improve," he said.
"It's a learning curve for everyone, for the Department of Education as well," he said.
Mr O'Bryan put it to Mr Singh that the college's expenses had not grown in line with its "truly extraordinary" revenue and that staff had not engaged in meaningful training. Mr Singh said the college did hold regular training sessions.
Mr Singh told the court that the first time he had heard about students being allegedly signed up through "free laptops" in Aboriginal missions by his wife and other family members was through the media.
"It was very sad to see myself on the front page of a paper with so much negative commentary," he said.
Mr O'Bryan put it to Mr Singh that he deliberately recruited Aboriginal employees to market Unique's courses so the college would have access to remote Aboriginal missions in Bourke, Taree and Walgett.
Mr Singh said he was "very proud" of signing up students from regional areas where there were few educational opportunities and that he was "overjoyed" to have Aboriginal people working for Unique.
"I was confident that they were going to be able to bring diversity to the culture of the organisation," he said.
The court heard that the college had not called a single student before the court to defend the college's practices.
Acting for Unique International College, David Pritchard SC, said that the debt that the students had incurred was a matter for the Commonwealth and the students.
"We can't do anything about that," he said.
The hearing before Judge Nye Perram continues.
