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Information Guidelines

TEQSA Consultation Paper

27 February 2020

Documents

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Information Guidelines: Consultation Paper (126 KB)

Information Guidelines: Consultation Paper (302 KB)

Responding to this paper

TEQSA requests that responses to the consultation question posed in this paper, along with any other relevant feedback, be submitted via email to consultation [at] teqsa.gov.au.

Submissions close at 5.00pm on 27 March 2020.

Interested parties can also email consultation [at] teqsa.gov.au with queries about this paper, or to seek clarification of the consultation questions.

Please note that TEQSA intends to publish a summary of submissions received. If you do not wish for your submission (or part of your submission) to be published, please indicate this in your response. TEQSA may alter the format or content of submissions before they are published, or decline to publish particular submissions, having regard to the requirements for Australian Government websites.

Background

The Information Guidelines is a legislative instrument that sets out the Commonwealth authorities and the State or Territory authorities which the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) may disclose higher education information to under sections 189 and 194 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act).

Relevant provisions

Section 204 of the TEQSA Act allows TEQSA to make, by legislative instrument, Information Guidelines.

Under section 189, TEQSA can disclose higher education information to the authorities listed in the Information Guidelines if:

the information relates to an offence or possible offence, against the TEQSA Act, the TEQSA Act’s associated provisions or the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
the information that relates to a contravention, or possible contravention, of:
1. the TEQSA Act; or
2. the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000; or
3. the Higher Education Support Act 2003; or
4. legislative instruments made under any of those Acts.

TEQSA can disclose higher education information to the authorities listed in the Information Guidelines under section 194 if TEQSA is satisfied that the disclosure is necessary to enable or assist the authority to perform or exercise any of the authority’s functions or powers.

Consultation

We are now seeking your comments on the authorities listed in the Information Guidelines.

Proposed authorities

TEQSA is proposing to include the following authorities in the legislative instrument. Table 1 contains the names of the Profession-specific Commonwealth, State or Territory authorities. Table 2 contains the names of Commonwealth, State or Territory authorities with a broader public interest remit.

Aside from updates to the names of some authorities the only proposed change to this version of the Information Guidelines is the inclusion of the Office of the Training Advocate (SA) in Table 1.

Table 1

Profession-specific Commonwealth, State or Territory authorities
Item	Name of authority
1	Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Health Practice Board of Australia
2	Architects Board (ACT)
3	Architects Board (NT)
4	Architects Registration Board (NSW)
5	Architects Board of Western Australia
6	Architects Registration Board of Victoria
7	Architectural Practice Board of South Australia
8	Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
9	Board of Architects of Queensland
10	Board of Architects of Tasmania
11	Board of Legal Education (TAS)
12	Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland
13	Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (NSW)
14	Board of Surveying and Spatial Information of New South Wales
15	Building Professionals Board (NSW)
16	Chinese Medicine Board Of Australia
17	Chiropractic Board of Australia
18	Dental Board of Australia
19	Land Surveyors Licensing Board of Western Australia
20	Legal Practice Board of Western Australia
21	Legal Practitioners Admission Board (ACT)
22	Legal Practitioners Admission Board (NT)
23	Legal Practitioners Admissions Board (QLD)
24	Legal Practitioners Education and Admission Council (SA)
25	Legal Profession Admission Board (NSW)
26	Legal Qualifications Committee (NSW)
27	Medical Board of Australia
28	Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia
29	Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
30	Occupational Therapy Board of Australia
31	Office of The Surveyor-General (ACT)
32	Optometry Board of Australia
33	Osteopathy Board of Australia
34	Pharmacy Board of Australia
35	Physiotherapy Board of Australia
36	Podiatry Board of Australia
37	Psychology Board of Australia
38	Queensland College of Teachers
39	Surveyor General of Tasmania
40	Surveyors Board (SA)
41	Surveyors Board of the Northern Territory
42	Surveyors Board of Queensland
43	Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria
44	Teacher Quality Institute (ACT)
45	Tax Practitioners Board
46	Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania
47	Teachers Registration Board of South Australia
48	Teacher Registration Board of the Northern Territory
49	Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia
50	Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board
51	Valuers Registration Board of Queensland
52	Veterinary Board of Tasmania
53	Veterinary Board of the Northern Territory
54	Veterinary Practitioners Board of NSW
55	Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria
56	Veterinary Practitioners Board (ACT)
57	Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland
58	Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia
59	Veterinary Surgeons’ Board Western Australia
60	Victorian Institute of Teaching
61	Victorian Legal Admissions Board

Table 2

Commonwealth, State or Territory authorities with a broader public interest remit
Item	Name of authority
62	ACT Policing
63	Australian Bureau of Statistics
64	Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
65	Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority
66	Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
67	Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission
68	Australian Federal Police
69	Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre
70	Australian Financial Security Authority
71	Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
72	Australian Research Council
73	Australian Securities and Investment Commission
74	Australian Skills Quality Authority
75	Australian Taxation Office
76	Australian Trade and Investment Commission
77	Commission for Children and Young People (VIC)
78	Commonwealth Ombudsman
79	Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions(VIC)
80	Department of Education (NSW)
81	Department of Education (NT)
82	Department of Education (TAS)
83	Department of Education (CTH)
84	Department of Education and Training (QLD)
85	Department of Education and Training (VIC)
86	Department of Education (WA)
87	Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business (CTH)
88	Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (CTH)
89	Department of Health and Human Services (VIC)
90	Department of Home Affairs (CTH)
91	Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (CTH)
92	Department of Communities (Communities) (WA)
93	Department of Premier and Cabinet (NSW)
94	Department of Innovation and Skills (SA)
95	Education Standards Board of South Australia
96	Education Directorate (ACT)
97	Fair Work Ombudsman
98	Higher Education Standards Panel
99	NSW Police Force
100	Northern Territory Police
101	Office of the Training Advocate (SA)
102	Ombudsman (ACT)
103	Ombudsman (NSW)
104	Ombudsman (NT)
105	Ombudsman (QLD)
106	Ombudsman South Australia
107	Ombudsman Western Australia
108	Ombudsman Tasmania
109	Queensland Police
110	South Australia Police
111	Tasmania Police
112	Trade & Investment Queensland
113	Victoria Police
114	Victorian Ombudsman
115	Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority
116	Western Australia Police

Questions for consultation

Consultation questions

Question 1: Do you agree that the agencies specified in the draft are appropriate?
Question 2: Are there any additional authorities you think should be included in the Information Guidelines?

Consultation process

This paper is being made available on our website and has been sent directly to peak bodies for providers regulated by TEQSA under the TEQSA Act.

Responses to the questions posed in this paper and other relevant feedback can be provided through the following email address consultation [at] teqsa.gov.au.

Submissions close at 5.00pm on 27 March 2020.

Interested parties can also email consultation [at] teqsa.gov.au with queries about this paper or to seek clarification of the consultation questions.

Please note that TEQSA intends to publish a summary of submissions received. If you do not wish your submission to be published in full or in part, please indicate this in your response. TEQSA may alter the format or content of submissions before they are published, or decline to publish particular submissions, having regard to the requirements for Australian Government websites.