Higher Education
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency
The Australian Government is establishing a new regulatory and quality agency for higher education, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). TEQSA will combine the regulatory activity currently undertaken by states and territories with the quality assurance functions of the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA).
TEQSA is being established as an independent body with powers to regulate all higher education providers, monitor quality and set standards. Its primary task will be to ensure that students receive a high quality education at any of Australia’s higher education providers. It is anticipated that TEQSA will be established in July 2011 and will commence its regulatory functions from January 2012.
The ACT Accreditation and Registration Council is working with the TEQSA Taskforce to transition ACT higher education regulatory functions to TEQSA.
For further information and updates please visit the TEQSA website at www.deewr.gov.au/teqsa. For any enquiries relating to the establishment of TEQSA, please contact the TEQSA Taskforce at teqsa@deewr.gov.au
Transition Arrangements
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2011 (Consequential and Transitional Bill) provides that higher education providers currently registered under state or territory law will automatically have their current registration status transferred to TEQSA.
The draft Provider Standards, which includes the Provider Category Standards, has been the subject of continued consultation with the higher education sector over the past 14 months. For information on the proposed provider categories, please visit the TEQSA website http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Policy/teqsa/Pages/DraftProviderStandards.aspx
The transition to TEQSA affects current and new state/territory-based applications as all applications which are outstanding when regulatory functions are transferred to TEQSA will be finalised by TEQSA. Existing providers have been notified of relevant transitional arrangements for their registration and accreditation periods. Any applications from new providers or for new courses will now be forwarded to TEQSA for processing.
For information about the status of any current applications, please email ross.hughes@act.gov.au
