When the government changed the licensing system to the VET sector the state and territory authorities (WorkSafe etc) did not want to give up their regulatory powers to licence people. Two parts were then put into one system – First you do your training (VET) and show you meet the requirements of the unit and then you do your test (Regulator requirement). All of this is good in theory. In the previous test-only system run by the regulator, students would learn the tests off by heart and pass without having any underpinning knowledge. This is why in the new system students do not have the opportunity to see the test beforehand.
The main problem with this system is that the state and territory regulators did not work with the people writing the units of competency and visa versa. This has led to a mismatch which has caused confusion in the training and assessing required and the mapping of that training and assessing. Perhaps one day we will get a truely unified system written by one body.