policy matters

1. ACPET - AUQA meet to discuss Governance
2. Demand Driven Funding for Higher Education

1. ACPET - AUQA meet to discuss Governance

Karen Treloar, Audit Director, from the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA ) was recently an met with ACPET’s Higher Education Committee to seek ACPET’s views on the publication Academic Governance and Quality Assurance: Good Practice for NSAIs.

Karen Treloar advised that for some time AUQA had been uncovering governance issues within NSAIs and as a result at AUQA is developing a series of guidelines for NSAIs.

Karen Treloar advised that the publication is part of AUQA’s objective of overcoming the inconsistencies that NSAIs experience from accreditation authorities from state to state and to provide clear direction on governance expectations. The Committee raised issues with the guidelines in regard to their focus on Universities as examples of academic governance. The Committee expressed to Karen Treloar that AUQA needs to develop a model for academic governance that was NSAI specific rather than transposing a University model on to NSAIs (as per listed examples in the guide). Karen Treloar responded that one of her primary tasks at AUQA was to address this issue. Further Karen Treloar advised that AUQA was building its NSAI intelligence through experience and that AUQA was studying governance models in the UK and USA in order to further develop governance models appropriate for NSAIs in Australia.

Karen Treloar advised that the publication had been formulated on the basis of the National Protocols. The Committee’s feedback was that the National Protocols did not take into account the operating environment of NSAIs.

The Committee also raised the concerns that audit panels did not consist of experts with NSAI experience. Karen Treloar has extended an offer for ACPET Members to contact AUQA and nominate to become Members of AUQA panels.

Back to top
 

2. Demand Driven Funding for Higher Education

ACPET recently convened a roundtable of ACPET Members (Bond University, Tabor Adelaide, JAZZWORX!, Endeavour College of Natural Health, JMC Academy, Whitehouse Institute of Design and Holmes Institute) to investigate and to discuss different models for the provision of Higher Education. This is an issue that ACPET’s Higher Education Committee has also been examining.

One of the issues of identified by the roundtable is there is no clear criteria for providers to move between the Tables that are listed in the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA). As such the roundtable discussed the need for a rules criteria to be introduced that can govern movement of providers through the different tables of the HESA.

The discussions examined the need for Government policy to centre on choice quality and diversity. By placing these tenets at the centre of funding policy then students will be able to choose an institution that provides a qualifications and a learning environment that best meets their needs. This could also lead to a more efficient tertiary education system because it will drive institutions to strive the deliver the highest quality education in the most effective manner. This however does not mean fees should be regulated, the converse in fact is the point. Institutions should be able to set their fees as they see fit and then allow the market determine if value is being offered.
ACPET’s Higher Education Committee will continue to examine this issue and consult with DEEWR. Members wishing to discuss or provide input into this matter should contact ACPET’s Manager of Policy and Research Ben Vivekanandan by ben [dot] vivekanandan [at] acpet [dot] edu [dot] au (email) or phone 03 9412 5912.

Back to top