Opposition welcomes Senate comittee scrutiny of TEQSA legislation
23/03/11
The Coalition welcomes the referral of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) Bill 2011 to a Senate committee, according to the Shadow Minister for Universities and Research, Senator Brett Mason.
“This complex and far-reaching Bill needs to be comprehensively scrutinised through the Senate committee process, and I look forward to having the opportunity of listening to the views of key stakeholders and working to further improve the Bill”, said Senator Mason.
The TEQSA Bill was introduced into the Senate today by the federal Tertiary Education Minister, Senator Chris Evans, and will be referred to the Senate’s Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
“The Coalition cautiously welcomes this legislation which at first blush has much to commend it," Senator Mason said. "The Coalition supports the central idea behind the legislation, as Australia’s higher education sector is simply too small and too inter-connected to sensibly have a multiplicity of regulators.
“We do need robust national standards to ensure that any student (domestic or from overseas) undertaking an Australian higher educational qualification knows that they are getting quality, value and excellence, no matter in which state or territory they choose to pursue their higher education.
“But this is far-reaching legislation that will affect not only universities, but also other higher education providers. The new regulatory agency (TEQSA) will have powers that no previous regulator of the sector has possessed. It is uncharted territory for our higher education sector, and we have to get it right.
“While we support the establishment of a national regulator in principle, we are nonetheless wary of both the details and implementation, as sadly this Government does not have a good record in this regard.
“With that in mind, we will work constructively with the other members of the Senate inquiry to ensure that the Bill achieves its purposes and improves, not hinders, the growth and excellence of our vitally important higher education sector.”