OBJECTIVE 1: QUALITY ASSURE AND REGULATE THE SECTOR IN A TIMELY, TRANSPARENT AND RISK REFLECTIVE MANNER

Action 1.1 Improve the case management approach.

Evolving the approach to assessment

During 2018-19, TEQSA commenced a project to document, review and recommend changes to the case management approach that has been in place since the commencement of operations in 2012. The project was initiated in response to feedback from providers, at forums and through the stakeholder survey, asking for a move to an enhanced partnership model of regulation.

Policy changes

The review of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) by the Department of Education has the potential to impact the shape and type of qualifications within the regulatory scope of TEQSA and, in particular, those qualifications that are common to both higher education and vocational education and training. During 2018-19, TEQSA provided advice to the AQF Review Panel and the HESP on the operation of the AQF from a regulatory perspective and the impact of potential changes to the HES Framework.

TEQSA also provided advice to the HESP in relation to: the review of Part B: Criteria for Higher Education Providers of the HES Framework; the implementation by higher education providers of the recommendations for the transparency of admissions; and provider responses to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Change The Course: National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities (2017).​​

Action 1.2 Implement mechanisms to ensure efficient assessment of applications.

Caseload in 2018-19

​In 2018-19, TEQSA received an increased number of applications. Under the TEQSA Act, the maximum period for registration of providers and accreditation of courses is seven years. The applications received in 2018-19 consisted of: renewal of registrations or accreditations granted less than seven years since 2012; registrations that were part of the transitional arrangements at the commencement of operations in 2012; and renewal of registrations or accreditation that were first assessed in 2012. The caseload also included a tripling in the number of applications from prospective entrants to the sector compared to the previous year. Table 1 sets out TEQSA's caseload over the last three years.

Table 1: TEQSA's caseload

Table 2 sets out the total number of assessments completed and decisions made in 2018-19. The decrease in the number of assessments completed is largely due to the receipt of applications in the later part of 2018-19, which had not yet been completed by the end of the operational year. In 2018-19, 255 assessments were completed, including 69 applications withdrawn by applicants. Most withdrawals occurred after TEQSA had completed assessment of the application but before a decision was made.

In addition to the assessments shown in Table 2, TEQSA completed 625 other assessments of applications made under the ESOS Act.

Table 2: Completed assessments and decisions

Meeting caseload timeframes

​In 2018-19, there was an improvement in the median processing time for most types of applications as shown in Table 3. The improvement was partly due to the reduced caseload for some types of applications but also due to the commencement of new staff to undertake assessments in the latter part of the year.

Table 3: Number of assessments decided and number of days to decision

Table 4 shows the median number of days for processing. The increase in the median processing time for applications for course re-accreditation was primarily caused by assessments for which the decisions were delayed due to: associated decisions involving compliance assessments; cases before the AAT; or priority being given to new accreditations to support providers getting new courses to market.

Table 4: Median number of days for processing of applications from submission to decision

In relation to the processing time for applications from low risk providers, the target of 90 per cent of assessments completed within six months for renewal of registration was not achieved primarily due to the impact of assessments carried forward from previous operating years. For applications for accreditation of new courses from low risk providers, 80 per cent of decisions were made within the target period of three months.

Under its governing legislation, TEQSA is obliged to provide particular forms of advice or complete certain processes within specified timeframes. Table 5 contains information about TEQSA's performance in meeting legislative deadlines required by the TEQSA Act. In 2018-19, the agency met the majority of its legislative deadlines.

Table 5: Performance in 2018-19 against the requirements of the TEQSA Act

Adverse decisions

​TEQSA informs applicants of proposed adverse decisions, including the reasons for those proposed decisions, and no decision is made until the applicant has had an opportunity to respond to the basis for the proposed decision. In the 2019 stakeholder survey, 74 per cent of providers rated TEQSA as good or excellent in relation to providing opportunities to address matters relevant to a regulatory decision, prior to a final decision being made. This compares with 64 per cent in 2018.

In 2018-19, the proportion of re-registration assessments with an adverse decision decreased compared with the last two years. Adverse decisions include the imposition of conditions, cancellation of registration, or rejection of an application. In 2018-19, 38 per cent of decisions about re-registration were adverse compared with 56 per cent in 2017-18.

Table 6: Percentage of assessments of re-registration applications with an adverse decision

Applications from prospective entrants

​In 2018-19, a total of 17 applications from prospective entrants to the sector were assessed. Eight applications were withdrawn by the applicants before a decision was made, five applications were granted registration (but all were granted less than the maximum seven-year period for registration, in line with the TEQSA Initial Provider Registration Policy) and four applications were rejected. Of the four applications rejected, two applied for external review in the AAT during 2018-19.

External review matters

In 2018-19, TEQSA was a party in 12 external review matters in the AAT relating to regulatory decisions.

In addition to eight matters carried over from 2017-18, four new matters commenced in the AAT in 2018-19. Seven matters were resolved by agreement, one matter was dismissed following withdrawal by the applicant and four matters were carried into 2019-20. As in past years, the most common areas of the HES Framework in relation to the matters under appeal involved corporate governance and staffing (including teaching staff, academic leadership and support staff). Other issues related to academic governance, course content, staff scholarship and professional development, and financial viability.

In 2018-19, matters resolved in the AAT took an average of 276 days.

Action 1.3 Ensure regulation of the sector is reflective of the risks to students and the sector.

​Stakeholder engagement approach

In 2018-19, TEQSA reviewed its stakeholder engagement strategy to take account of feedback from the 2018 stakeholder survey and events held in 2017-18. The strategy identified areas for targeted consultation, feedback mechanisms and areas for focus in 2018-19.

Regulatory policies

During 2018-19, the agency released and implemented a policy for extending the period of provider registration or course accreditation. The policy reflects the greater level of information and understanding of providers' operations and describes the basis on which TEQSA will offer extensions to registration and course accreditation periods to selected providers, including consideration of risk ratings and regulatory history. The policy reflects the agency's commitment to streamlining regulation of the sector in a proportionate and risk-reflective manner.

In 2018-19, seven providers were offered extensions to their existing registration periods. Six providers accepted the offers, and the subsequent decisions by TEQSA were published on the National Register of Higher Education Providers.

A policy on the approach to the renewal of registration of providers that have been identified as low risk was also developed during 2018-19 for implementation in 2019-20. The policy seeks to maximise use of the provisions of the HES Framework requiring an independent review of governance.

Risk Assessment Framework

​TEQSA's Risk Assessment Framework is a key aspect of how TEQSA assesses risk. The Risk Assessment Framework provides a snapshot of higher education providers to help prioritise TEQSA’s focus in undertaking its assurance activities.

In March 2019, the agency updated the Risk Assessment Framework to clarify the reporting of senior academic leaders. Cycle 6 of the annual risk assessment was completed during 2018-19 using data validated by the Department of Education from the Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS). As in past years, all providers were sent a risk assessment report from Cycle 6.

The risk reflective approach to assessment means that the agency varies evidence requirements based on all available information about each registered provider's organisational characteristics and risk profile, and seeks to ensure that the agency's and provider’s resources are targeted to areas of concern.

Analysis of TEQSA's regulatory decisions demonstrates a strong alignment between the risk profile of a provider and the outcomes of regulatory decisions, as demonstrated in Table 7.

Table 7: Risk ratings and outcomes for re-registration

Table 8 demonstrates the relationship between the risk profile of a provider and the outcome of regulatory decisions about course accreditation and re-accreditation applications. TEQSA only accredits or re-accredits courses for providers without self-accrediting authority. Notwithstanding the smaller sample size, the analysis shows a good relationship between risk ratings and regulatory outcomes in 2016-17 and 2018-19. In 2017-18 the small sample size was very small and no relationship between risk rating and outcome was evident.

Table 8: Risk ratings and outcomes for course accreditation and re-accreditation

Collaborating with other agencies

TEQSA works closely with relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies, in particular, the Department of Education, HESP and the Australian Skills Quality Authority. This collaboration includes the regular exchange of information about providers that operate in both the higher education and the vocational education and training sectors.

The responsibilities of the HESP include developing and monitoring the operation of the HES Framework. During 2018-19, TEQSA Commissioners, the CEO and senior staff attended each meeting of the HESP to progress important sector matters such as:

• ​TEQSA's work in relation to assessing and monitoring the response of higher education providers to the prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment
• an analysis of complaints to TEQSA about higher education providers
• a report on the assessment outcomes of applications
• changes to TEQSA charges arising from the Australian Government cost recovery policy
• evolving the approach to assessment of applications
• the Australian Qualifications Framework Review
• the Review of the Higher Education Provider Category Standards
• addressing risks to academic integrity
• monitoring of overseas operations of registered providers
• the review of freedom of speech provisions
• engagement with the sector in relation to the Risk Assessment Framework
• progress of the Admissions Transparency Project
• monitoring of compliance with English language admission standards.

Working with peak and professional bodies

TEQSA currently has 36 ​agreements in place with industry bodies. During 2018-19, TEQSA signed or renewed agreements with the organisations listed in Table 9. As part of the goal of further streamlining evidence requirements for low-risk providers, a forum with professional accreditation bodies with which TEQSA has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was held in late 2018. The forum covered the following areas:

• how TEQSA and professional accreditation bodies could work more effectively together
• dealing with variations in legislation and requirements
• reducing duplication
• adopting a risk-based approach.

The outcomes of the forum were used by TEQSA to further streamline assessment processes.

Table 9: MoUs with professional bodies signed or renewed in 2018-19

Working with international quality agencies

TEQSA is an active member of a number of global higher education quality assurance networks, including the:

• International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE)
• Council for Higher Education Association International Quality Group (CIQG)
• Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN)
• Quality Beyond Boundaries Group (QBBG).

TEQSA’s membership and contribution to these groups allow the agency to play an important role in protecting, enhancing and promoting the quality and integrity of Australia’s higher education sector internationally.

During 2018-19, the agency continued its engagement with international quality assurance agencies and networks through various activities, including:

• regular teleconferences with its international Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) partners
• TEQSA’s International Quality Assurance Staff Exchange Program, in which:
  • TEQSA hosted delegates from the Office of Higher Education Commission Thailand (July and August 2018); NIAD-QE Japan (October 2018); Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, and SkillsFuture Singapore (December 2018); Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (March 2019); and the Endeavour Leadership Program, Vietnam (May 2019)
  • TEQSA staff members were hosted by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) (March 2019).
• participation in the QBBG annual meeting in Dubai in November 2018
• participation in the EFMD/HUMANE Asian Summer School in Hong Kong in October 2018
• participation in the Council of Higher Education (CHEA) and CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG) meetings in Washington, United States of America in January 2019
• participation in the East Asia forum on joint quality assurance in transnational education in Kuala Lumpur in November 2018
• participation in INQAAHE annual conference in Sri Lanka in March 2019.

Staff from a variety of international agencies were welcome visitors to TEQSA during 2018-19, including visitors from the Japan University Accreditation Association, Ministry of Education and Training Vietnam, Myanmar Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, RISTEKDIKTI Indonesia, Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation, the Afghanistan Higher Education Exposure visit, Office of the Higher Education Commission Thailand, and the Australian China Culture and Education Exchange Centre.

TEQSA has established a strong and positive reputation globally, and plays a key role in working with international quality assurance partners to develop international approaches to shared quality risks.

​During 2018-19, TEQSA signed or renewed MoCs with the organisations listed in Table 10. TEQSA also entered into an agreement with the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) to develop a resource for quality agencies to address incidents of contract cheating.

Table 10: MoCs signed or renewed in 2018-19

Action 1.4 Enhance TEQSA's approach to monitoring, assessment and management of risks.

Managing risk

​Following the completion of the Cycle 6 risk assessments, TEQSA met with each provider with a high risk rating to discuss the results of their risk assessment and how the risks were being managed. Following the meetings, action plans were developed for those providers where TEQSA had residual concerns.

In 2018-19, TEQSA commenced a project to develop a specific risk appetite statement for regulatory assessment. The project included consultation with assessment managers and regulatory decision makers and consideration of the risk appetite statements of other regulators. The new risk appetite statement will be implemented in 2019-20.

In 2018-19, work to incorporate broader and more timely sources of information to monitor risks to the sector commenced, including improvements in the handling of complaints about providers. A program of workshops and consultation with the sector on TEQSA’s current Risk Assessment Framework was finalised and necessary changes will be implemented in 2019-20.

The suite of projects that are part of the monitoring framework include: enhancing the risk categorisation of providers; environmental scanning; and improved analysis of complaints data and monitoring of social media activity.

Complaints

In 2018-19, TEQSA received a total of 445 complaints about providers. Approximately 102 of the complaints about providers were not within TEQSA’s remit (relating, for example, to providers offering only vocational education and training) or did not contain enough information for TEQSA to identify the provider. Of the remaining complaints, 168 complaints related to universities, 137 complaints related to other higher education providers, 35 complaints related to providers that offered awards without TEQSA registration, and three complaints related to ELICOS providers that are regulated by TEQSA.

TEQSA improved its procedures for managing complaints about providers (including complaints about responses by providers to incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment). Further improvements to TEQSA’s complaints-handling procedures are currently underway and will be implemented in 2019-20.

OBJECTIVE 2: SUPPORT PROVIDERS TO DELIVER QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION, PROTECT STUDENT INTERESTS AND ENHANCE THE REPUTATION AND COMPETITIVENESS OF AUSTRALIA'S HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR

Action 2.1 Consult with stakeholders and identify issues and delivery strategies where guidance is required.

Quality enhancement

​During 2018-19, TEQSA focused on developing tools and resources to support the sector to enhance quality in five main areas: quality assurance of online learning, preventing and responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment, improving retention of students, preventing and addressing contract cheating, and improving the transparency of admission processes.

In November 2018, a forum was held to examine the quality assurance landscape and emerging trends associated with online learning and its delivery in the Australian higher education sector. It was also an opportunity to discuss the role of TEQSA in supporting the quality assurance and enhancement of online courses. The forum was attended by 135 stakeholders from the sector and included a student panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges experienced by students studying online. Over 85 per cent of respondents to a post-event survey rated the event as very good or excellent. A report on the forum and the outcomes is available on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/occasional-forum-series-quality-assurance-online-learning.

Following a request from the then Minister for Education and Training that all higher education providers report to TEQSA on how they are responding to the findings of the Australian Human Rights Commission Change the Course: National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities​, TEQSA published a report on the sector's response in January 2019. This report is available on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/report-minister-education-higher-education-sector-response-issue-sexual. TEQSA has commenced the development of a good practice note on preventing and responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment.

In May 2018, the then Minister for Education and Training wrote to TEQSA regarding the recommendations of a report from the HESP on Improving retention, completion and success in higher education. The recommendations accepted by the government included the development of a good practice note by TEQSA on effective strategies used by providers to lift performance in student retention. Providers are required to respond by October 2019. TEQSA has commenced developing the good practice note for publication in 2019-20.

In April 2019, TEQSA engaged an expert to prepare a good practice note on making higher education admissions transparent for prospective students. The Good Practice Note: Making higher education admissions transparent for prospective students builds on TEQSA's Advice on Admissions Transparency report which was released in 2017-18 and aims to further support and promote the quality assurance approaches of providers in relation to admissions transparency. The good practice note was published in July 2019 on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/good-practice-note-making-higher-education-admissions-transparent.

TEQSA recognises that risks to academic integrity such as contract cheating can be highly sophisticated and difficult for providers to detect and mitigate. TEQSA is focused on supporting the sector and is soon to deliver workshops and a toolkit to support providers address the risks to academic integrity from contract cheating.

Changes from the Review of the TEQSA Act

The Review of the TEQSA Act recommended some amendments to the Act that are designed to: improve the Act’s administration, strengthen TEQSA’s regulatory role, and better reflect the evolution of the role of the HESP as the statutory advisory body established under the Act. Other non-legislative recommendations were made to improve the function and efficiency of TEQSA. ​The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment Bill 2018 was introduced to the House on 5 December 2018 but lapsed with the calling of the election. The Bill was subsequently listed for introduction on the Winter/Spring sittings for 2019.

Changes arising from the government policy on cost recovery

In the 2018-19 Budget, the Australian Government announced that the TEQSA would receive additional funding of $24.3 million over four years to increase its capacity to monitor and address threats to quality and integrity in a complex higher education delivery environment. The government also announced that TEQSA would transition from partial to full cost recovery arrangements during 2021-22 for its regulatory activities.

As part of the move to full cost recovery, it was also announced in the 2018-19 Budget that a sector-wide levy would be introduced in order to recover the costs of TEQSA’s non-application based activities.

In the 2018-19 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), the commencement of TEQSA’s transition to full cost recovery was revised by the government to 1 January 2020.

Section 158 of the TEQSA Act gives TEQSA the authority to determine fees that it may charge for things done in the performance of its functions. Before a legislative instrument can be made by TEQSA, the proposed schedule of fees must be approved by the Minister for Education. The current Determination of Fees is available at www.legislation.gov.au/Series/F2013L02162.

Action 2.2 Publish information about quality assurance and regulatory matters.

Guidance notes

During 2018-19, TEQSA released or updated 12 guidance notes to provide greater clarity for providers in the interpretation and application of selected standards. Guidance notes were prepared by drawing on the regulatory experience of the agency and the knowledge of experts in the higher education sector.

A number of guidance notes that were released following the transition to the HES Framework 2015 were revised in 2018-19 based on feedback from stakeholders. These included guidance notes addressing research and research training, grievance and complaint handling, credit and recognition of prior learning, workforce planning, financial assessment, financial standing, technology enhanced learning, scholarship, academic integrity and external referencing. New guidance notes released in 2018-19 addressed academic leadership and ELICOS direct entry.

​During 2018-19, TEQSA also released updated guidance for providers applying for renewal of registration or self-accrediting authority.

In 2018-19, TEQSA's guidance notes webpage received close to 21 000 views.

Support for prospective entrants

​During 2018-19, TEQSA enhanced its engagement with prospective entrants to the sector. This was based on the findings of the Assessment Insights report released in September 2018 that found that applications for initial registration were generally failing to meet multiple standards relating to corporate and academic governance. There were also common issues relating to financial sustainability and viability and academic leadership and staffing. TEQSA representatives now meet each applicant following the successful completion of the preliminary assessment stage, to talk through areas of focus and improvement, and to help prospective entrants better understand and navigate the registration requirements.

Stakeholder survey results regarding communication

In the 2019 stakeholder survey, 77 per cent of providers rated the agency as good or excellent in relation to a range of aspects. Specifically:

• 89 per cent of providers rated TEQSA as good or excellent in relation to the usefulness of TEQSA's regulatory policies and processes provided through the website and newsletters.
• 71 per cent rated the information provided on the National Register as good or excellent.
• 71 per cent rated the use of a variety of media and channels to communicate sector-wide updates as good or excellent.
• 88 per cent rated the usefulness of the information on the HES Framework as good or excellent.
• 79 per cent rated the usefulness of TEQSA-facilitated workshops and webinars to discuss regulatory requirements as good or excellent.
• 65 per cent rated the usefulness of the TEQSA conference as good or excellent.

OBJECTIVE 3: PROVIDE ADVICE AND INFORMATION TO INFORM DECISIONS ABOUT THE APPROPRIATENESS AND QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Action 3.1 Enhance engagement with students.

Student engagement

TEQSA values the insights and experience contributed by the Student Expert Advisory Group. Meetings with TEQSA's Student Expert Advisory Group were held in July 2018, November 2018, February 2019 and June 2019. The group includes representatives from the major student representative bodies - the National Union of Students, the Council of International Students Australia, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association, the Union of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students and the Australian Queer Students Network. During 2018-19 discussions included various topics such as: sexual assault and sexual harassment, improvements to admissions transparency and combating contract cheating.

More information on the Student Expert Advisory Group is available on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/student-engagement.

TEQSA has also presented at student meetings and has met with individual student representatives to discuss the involvement of students in TEQSA's monitoring of the sector. In 2018-19, the agency commenced planning for engaging students in regulatory assessments. A joint project with the Singapore quality assurance agency was initiated in 2018-19 to survey students studying at Australian providers in Singapore.

In 2018-19, TEQSA also formalised its relationship with the Union of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students (UATSIS) by signing an MoU on 9 July 2018.

Action 3.2 Provide information about the sector to inform policy development, good practice and student choice.

Publication of data

In August 2018, TEQSA released the Statistics report on TEQSA registered higher education providers 2018. This is the fifth report in the series and uses data from 2016 to provide high-level information about providers, students, academic staff and finance. The report includes data from previous years where available to enable reporting of trends. This year the report included a special focus on the analysis of international student data. The report was published on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/statistics-report-teqsa-registered-higher-education-providers-2018.

In September 2018, TEQSA released its Assessment Insights report which examined the assessment outcomes for applications received up to 31 December 2016 (prior to the HES Framework 2015 coming into effect) and the issues which were regularly encountered. The report included a range of information which might assist existing and prospective providers with better understanding how they might improve the results of their applications to TEQSA. The report was published on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/assessment-insights.

In December 2018, the fourth edition of the Key financial metrics on Australia's higher education sector report was released. The report provided a snapshot of key financial metrics across the sector, which are important in measuring the capacity and capability of providers to deploy financial resources in a way that supports quality in the delivery of higher education. The fourth edition also included a special focus topic of dual sector providers, as nearly half of all registered higher education providers also deliver vocational education and training as registered training organisations. The report was published on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/key-financial-metrics-australias-higher-education-sector-4th-edition.

​During 2018-19, the agency commenced a project to enhance reports on the international activity of Australian higher education providers. The development of public reporting on this topic has commenced.

Review of sector response to sexual assault and sexual harassment

Following a request from the then Minister for Education and Training that all higher education providers report to TEQSA about how they are responding to the findings of the Australian Human Rights Commission Change the Course: National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities​, TEQSA published a report on the sector's response in January 2019. The report is available on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/report-minister-education-higher-education-sector-response-issue-sexual.

Contributing to reviews impacting higher education regulation

During 2018-19, a number of reviews were underway or completed by the HESP that were of relevance to the work of the agency. These included:

• the Review of the Higher Education Provider Category Standards
• the Australian Qualifications Framework Review
• the recommendations arising from the review of professional accreditation
• the recommendations of the Improving retention, completion and success in higher education report.​

​In the case of each of these reviews or reports, TEQSA provided its experience, insights, advice and feedback to the review teams and the HESP.

TEQSA also worked directly with the Department of Education on the development of legislation to make the provision of contract cheating services illegal, and on the review of feedback on the consultation draft.

​National Register of Higher Education Providers

TEQSA is required by section 198 of the TEQSA Act to establish and maintain a national register. The National Register of Higher Education Providers (National Register) provides stakeholders with useful information about all registered providers and TEQSA's regulatory action. Regulatory decisions and reasons for those decisions are provided on the TEQSA website at www.teqsa.gov.au/national-register.

During 2018-19, the National Register was refreshed to improve the search tools and the presentation of information about each provider. During the year, TEQSA also published summary reports of the decisions published on the National Register each quarter.

In 2018-19, nine new providers were added to the National Register, including four registration decisions made by the AAT. As of 30 June 2019, 174 providers were registered with TEQSA as per Table 11 and 1653 TEQSA accredited courses were listed.

Table 11: National Register breakdown as at 30 June 2019

In 2018-19, the National Register received close to 67 000 page views.

OBJECTIVE 4: TAKE PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE ACTION TO ADDRESS SUBSTANTIAL RISKS TO STUDENTS OR THE REPUTATION OF THE SECTOR

Action 4.1 Undertake compliance assessments of those providers that continue to present substantial risks to students.

​Compliance assessments

​In 2018-19, the dedicated Compliance and Investigations Team established in May 2018 undertook new compliance assessments that contributed to decisions about the renewal of registration of the providers under investigation. The agency also continued to work on compliance assessments carried over from 2017-18, and to build the investigation capability through the development of internal procedures and reporting processes.

Action 4.2 Take enforcement action against entities in cases involving extensive non-compliance with the legislation administered by TEQSA.

Source: 2017-21 Corporate Plan, p.21
Performance Indicator: TEQSA is effective in maintaining the quality of the sector.
Deliverables:
Report on enforcement action taken as a result of investigations and compliance assessments. (Timeframe: Annual)	TEQSA investigated Elite Education Institute Pty Ltd which has resulted in the imposition of a condition.
Ensure enforcement action effectively reduces the risk of non-compliance. (Timeframe: 2018-22)	TEQSA cancelled the registration of Parapharm Pty Ltd and informed affected students of options. A review of current conditions was undertaken for a project on the effectiveness of conditions.
Target:
The majority of stakeholders rate TEQSA’s performance over the last 12 months in assuring the quality of Australian higher education as good or excellent.	Seventy-six per cent of providers rated TEQSA as good or excellent in assuring the quality of Australian higher education.
Overall result: Achieved

​Enforcement action

In 2018-19, TEQSA conducted an investigation of Elite Education Institute Pty Ltd (Elite), in partnership with other relevant Commonwealth agencies. On 20 June 2019, TEQSA imposed a condition on Elite’s registration under the ESOS Act in light of substantial concerns about Elite’s arrangements for the delivery of courses to overseas students. The condition imposed a time-limited restriction on the capacity of Elite to enrol or commence new students, while TEQSA finalises its ongoing investigation of the concerns it has identified.

​During 2018-19, the registration of Parapharm Pty Ltd was cancelled and TEQSA worked with relevant agencies to provide students with their records and information on options available to them. In addition to information made available through the TEQSA website, information was also provided through approximately 130 emails and phone calls to students.

Impact of conditions and treatment plans

With the commencement of new resources in 2018-19, the agency decided that a project to review the impact of conditions and treatment plans was required. In order to prepare data for the project, a review of compliance with all the existing conditions on registrations or accreditations was undertaken. In total, 162 assessments of compliance with conditions were commenced or completed in 2018-19. This work resulted in 87 conditions being revoked, eight conditions varied and 82 new conditions being imposed.​