TEQSA welcomes the Australian National Audit Office’s performance audit report on its regulation of higher education. 

Findings

The ANAO audit report found that TEQSA’s regulatory activities were effective or largely effective in all but one element of the audit. These findings confirm that TEQSA is meeting its purpose under the TEQSA Act to regulate higher education according to the principles of regulatory necessity, risk and proportionality. 

Importantly, the overwhelming success of the Australian higher education sector since TEQSA’s regulatory functions commenced in 2011-2012, provides strong evidence of the effectiveness of the agency’s work to protect student interests, and safeguard the quality and reputation of Australian higher education.

Recommendations

TEQSA accepts all five recommendations, in relation to its compliance and enforcement activities, and notes that work was already underway or planned to make improvements in these areas. This includes strengthening TEQSA’s existing compliance monitoring framework, improvements to the planning of compliance assessments, and ensuring the timely assessment of material submitted by providers. 

TEQSA has also implemented processes for consistent handling of material change notifications and reporting of compliance activity, with a full regulatory operations report to be published in July 2020. 

“As a relatively new agency, TEQSA welcomes its first performance audit report by the Australian National Audit Office, and its findings and recommendations,” said Professor Nick Saunders, TEQSA Chief Commissioner. 

“We recognise there is more work to be done, and TEQSA is committed to continuing to work with the sector to protect student interests and the world class quality and reputation of Australian higher education.” 

“TEQSA would like to thank the ANAO audit team for their work and the diligent, constructive and professional manner in which the audit was conducted.”  

Further information

• ANAO Report on Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s Regulation of Higher Education
• TEQSA’s full responses to the ANAO performance audit

In its latest step to support the sector during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, TEQSA is publishing a suite of online learning resources for providers to assist the sector’s transition to online learning, and is calling for the sector to contribute. 

“TEQSA is proud to draw together the expert resources from within our sector, and share them with providers to support online delivery of higher education,” said Professor Nick Saunders, TEQSA Chief Commissioner and Acting CEO. 

“TEQSA is aware that many providers, particularly independent providers, have made the transition to online delivery with little support and few resources, and we commend their adaptability and resilience. We also commend the sector more broadly, for its commitment to continuing to uphold the Higher Education Standards during the challenges presented by the pandemic.”

“This online learning resource is a work in progress, and we invite further contributions to help it to grow.”

To date, the resources cover a range of topics related to online learning, from getting started and helping workforces to work online, to student experiences and assessment integrity. 

“We appreciate that not all resources will be relevant to every provider, so we’ve presented them in an accessible way which is easy to peruse,” said Professor Saunders.

“TEQSA is committed to working in partnership with the sector, and this endures in ordinary, and extraordinary, circumstances.”

• View Online Learning Good Practice

Media enquiries 

Michelle Alexander, Assistant Director, Communications: comms@teqsa.gov.au, 0437 143 012

TEQSA is working to support the higher education sector during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, while fulfilling its key responsibilities to safeguard the reputation of Australian higher education, and the interests of students. 

To support the sector during the pandemic, TEQSA is taking a more flexible approach to the application of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015 and other legislative requirements on a case-by-case basis. Our latest advice for the sector can be found on our website. We are working directly with providers to consider their individual circumstances, as well as to understand the impacts on the sector as a whole, including the transition to online delivery. 

TEQSA acknowledges that some industry professional accreditation issues will arise over this period, and suggests that providers and industry professional bodies similarly work together to address issues as they arise and minimise the regulatory burden on a case-by-case basis.

Currently, TEQSA has identified three key issues for providers and industry professional bodies, relating to the quality of the student experience:  

• The integrity of assessment: At all times providers must uphold the integrity of assessment in a course of study, with a focus on the achievement of course and unit learning outcomes. Providers must also protect the academic integrity of the assessment process.
• Placements: TEQSA acknowledges the immense variation and complexity in clinical and other placements across the professions, and appreciates that access to placement opportunities during COVID-19 will vary across the professions.
• Provisional registration: How the registration of final year students (on successful completion of their studies and eligibility to graduate) will be managed, in terms of provisional registration, and consideration of support that will need to be put in place to underpin the skills of our future graduate workforce. 

In the first instance, TEQSA encourages providers to contact the specific industry professional body to discuss specific circumstances in relation to accredited programs. 

TEQSA will continue to work with Universities Australia, industry professional body representatives such as the Australian Council of Professions, Independent Higher Education Australia, Independent Tertiary Education Council of Australia, and the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, on issues relating to industry professional accreditation and the future graduate workforce. TEQSA welcomes providers and industry professional bodies contacting us with any information which could help inform our future steps to continue supporting Australia’s higher education sector during COVID-19, addressed to Emily Goode, International and Industry Professional Bodies Manager: emily.goode@teqsa.gov.au.

Professor Nick Saunders AO
Chief Commissioner and Acting CEO
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency 

TEQSA is seeking to appoint an outstanding leader as its Chief Executive Officer. The CEO will provide strategic leadership and vision, and the ethical, effective and efficient management of TEQSA’s large and complex operations. Duties include leadership of the Agency; driving efficient and effective business processes; delivering timely regulatory assessments; and being a recognised authoritative voice on quality assurance and regulation of Australia’s higher education sector.

The CEO will need to cultivate an effective relationship with the Minister’s Office; provide advice to the Minister on matters relating to the quality and regulation of Australia’s higher education sector in an international context; and foster strategic relationships with key stakeholders including higher education peak bodies, Office of Best Practice Regulation, the Australian Skills Quality Authority, the Productivity Commission, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and other government agencies.

This significant leadership appointment requires an individual who is highly regarded for their sectoral and regulatory knowledge; who possesses a respected professional profile, political nous and gravitas; and who demonstrates sound leadership, management, interpersonal and communication skills. It is expected that candidates will offer the skills and capabilities to shape strategic thinking; deliver results; cultivate productive working relationships; and communicate with influence and impact. 

This full-time statutory appointment is based in Melbourne. Further information on TEQSA can be found on this website. The successful applicant must obtain and maintain an Australian Government Security Clearance to Negative Vetting level 1 status.

For further information or to obtain the Information for Candidates pack, please contact Paul Hill on +61 (3) 8375 7424 or +61 (0)407 766 756 at Odgers Berndtson, the consultants advising TEQSA. 

Applications close on Thursday 16 April 2020. Applications should be sent to: CEOTEQSA@odgersberndtson.com.

All AQF training and assessment must meet high quality standards regardless of the location of the student and the mode of delivery.  As long as the student remains enrolled with their provider, and the assessment requirements of the course allow it, the location of the student and the mode of delivery should not form an impediment to attainment of an Australian qualification. 

National regulators, including ASQA and TEQSA, will be flexible in order to support students to study online either in Australia or offshore. 

Providers should assure themselves that such arrangements maintain assessment and quality standards, and are appropriately documented. Not all qualifications are suited to online learning, this may include those with mandatory work placements. 

If providers have questions about their specific circumstances they should contact their relevant regulator.

On 5 February 2020, TEQSA made a decision to reject the applications to renew Elite Education Institute’s registration as a higher education provider and its registration to provide courses to overseas students.  

TEQSA made this decision based on evidence that Elite Education had failed to meet a number of the requirements of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015, and the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act), which must be met by all higher education providers in Australia.

This decision comes after TEQSA last year imposed conditions on the provider’s registration, preventing the enrolment or commencement of new students, and due to serious concerns the Agency had identified through an ongoing compliance assessment.

Anthony McClaran, TEQSA's CEO, commented: “TEQSA’s compliance assessment found a number of issues with Elite’s operations, including inadequate academic quality of course delivery and concerns around academic integrity, and we also found that Elite had delivered courses to overseas students which it was not registered to deliver." 

“TEQSA’s fundamental role is to protect students and to assure the quality of higher education in Australia. Where providers do not meet the relevant standards, they can expect TEQSA to require improvements and, if we are not satisfied the steps taken are adequate to deliver the quality of education that students expect in Australia, we will act.” 

“We will now work with the Institute and the Tuition Protection Service to ensure, where possible, all continuing students affected by Elite’s closure are supported to continue their studies at other institutions, and/or are duly refunded monies owed.”

TEQSA has also imposed four conditions on the registration of Elite Education, to allow for transitional arrangements for students enrolled at Elite Education.

Elite Education has applied to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review of TEQSA’s decisions and for a stay of those decisions. 

Media enquiries 

Michelle Alexander, Assistant Director, Communications: comms@teqsa.gov.au, 0437 143 012