Parents question government, schools ‘endorsement’ of collapsed space tour company, despite problems in 2020

Parents who lost thousands of dollars on pre-booked overseas study camps after a tour operator’s financial collapse are questioning why governments and schools continued to allow the company to sell its product to students, despite problems dating back to 2020.

Actura Australia Pty Ltd went into liquidation on 14 June, leaving more than 600 families across Australia owed money, including 39 in Canberra schools Merici College and St Clare’s College.

Karen Foster, a North Sydney mum left shortchanged after booking an Actura trip for her son back in 2019, said it was a problem regulators could have seen coming.

“There were so many negative comments and reviews online about Actura back in 2020, people who’d booked tours that were cancelled due to COVID still haven’t had all their money refunded.”

Ms Foster said she booked a NASA tour to the US for her son Jack that was scheduled for December 2020. It was cancelled because of COVID. Despite assurances her money would be refunded, she is still owed $1950.

“We paid $8000. They were very difficult. I had to send letters of demand to them, threatening to involve my lawyers. They paid me back in instalments up until last year, but I’m still owed money. There were a lot of other parents also [shortchanged],” she said.

Region has seen several emails she exchanged with Actura and a response to a complaint she sent to government business regulator NSW Fair Trading, which said it notified the company but couldn’t do anything.

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), the NSW Government body that regulates private and public schools, previously endorsed Actura Australia.

An Actura account Twitter post from February 2019 shows an employee proudly displaying a certificate indicating his company was a “NESA endorsed provider” until 1 February 2023.

“If NESA says they’re good, then obviously schools are going to think they’re OK,” Ms Foster said.

A spokeswoman for the government regulator told Region NESA endorsed Actura as a provider in 2018, but when new, more stringent NESA regulations were introduced in November 2020, Actura no longer met NESA requirements.

“Actura Australia Pty Ltd is not a NESA accredited Professional Development provider and none of their courses are currently accredited by NESA,” a NESA spokesperson said.

Region was unable to find any information on NESA’s website or elsewhere online to indicate when and why Actura lost its NESA-endorsed provider status.

Ms Foster also questioned why schools and government would deal with Actura Australia when its parent company, Actura International, was based in the tiny East African nation Seychelles – widely regarded as a tax haven.

“That sets off alarm bells right there,” she said.

The NSW Department of Education also appeared to have a relationship with Actura Australia.

“Actura with the NSW Department of Education were delighted to deliver Concord High School and Canterbury Boys’ High School their very own set of FlipRobot Learning Kits,” a LinkedIn post from 2018 stated, accompanied by a photo of government bureaucrats and Actura Australia staff together.

The department refused to answer questions on whether it endorsed Actura Australia or did checks on the company before it was allowed to sell its products to NSW schools.

“Ten students from Forest High School were impacted by the liquidation of Actura (Red Spear Holdings Pty Ltd, formerly trading as Edu Tours),” a department spokesperson said in a statement.

“All families will be receiving a full refund of money they paid for the excursion.”

Gold Coast parent Mrunal Tarekh, who says he lost $12,000 on his son Adway’s NASA tour, believes schools are also responsible.

“When tours get advertised by the schools, we feel they are safe,” he said.

“The schools have a duty of care to the parents who have lost money.”

If you know more about this story, email ojacques@region.com.au.