Part 8, Division 1, Section 134 · Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011

Contents

134Functions and powers#

(1)TEQSA has the following functions:

(a)to register regulated entities as registered higher education providers in accordance with this Act;

(b)to accredit courses of study in accordance with this Act;

(c)to investigate whether this Act or this Act’s associated provisions have been or are being complied with, including by:

(i)conducting compliance assessments and quality assessments; and

(ii)conducting accreditation assessments of accredited courses;

(d)to advise and make recommendations to the Minister on matters relating to the quality or regulation of higher education providers, if requested by the Minister or on its own initiative;

(da)to protect and enhance academic integrity by:

(i)gathering, providing and sharing information, and providing education, in relation to the conduct prohibited by sections 114A and 114B; and

(ii)conducting research relating to academic cheating services; and

(iii)taking action to prevent access to online sources of academic cheating services;

(e)to collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to:

(i)higher education providers; and

(ii)regulated higher education awards; and

(iii)quality assurance practice, and quality improvement, in higher education; and

(iv)the Higher Education Standards Framework;

(f)to advise and make recommendations to a higher education provider on matters relating to the Threshold Standards, if requested by the provider in the approved form;

(g)to conduct training to improve the quality of higher education;

(i)to give the Secretary an independent assessment of information the Secretary provides about higher education providers, that uses assessment criteria provided by the Secretary;

(j)to cooperate with its counterparts in other countries;

(k)to develop service standards that TEQSA must meet in performing its functions;

(l)any function determined under subsection (5);

(m)such other functions as are conferred on TEQSA by or under this Act or any other Commonwealth law.

Note: An example for paragraph (m) is TEQSA’s functions under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000.

(2)Without limiting paragraph (1)(m), that paragraph includes a function conferred on TEQSA by an authorisation made for the purposes of a Commonwealth law.

Note: An example would be if the Minister authorised TEQSA to consider whether to consent to a company using “university” in its name for the purposes of section 147 of the Corporations Act 2001.

(3)TEQSA may perform its functions within or outside Australia.

(4)TEQSA has the power to do all things that are necessary or convenient to be done for or in connection with the performance of its functions.

(5)The Minister may, by legislative instrument, determine other functions for TEQSA that relate to higher education.

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Compilations may have been reformatted.