TEQSA successful in Federal Court action to block access to cheating website
TEQSA has obtained a Federal Court order that requires carriage service providers to block access to the website Assignmenthelp4you.com.
TEQSA lodged the application in July 2021, seeking an injunction requiring 51 carriage service providers to take such steps as the Court considers reasonable to disable access to the website.
The Federal Court yesterday determined the website facilitated a contravention of section 114B of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act). The court also ordered that the 51 carriage service providers block access to this website within 15 business days.
This is the first time TEQSA has exercised its power to apply for an injunction under the amendments made by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services) Act 2020. TEQSA filed the injunction application under Section 127A of the TEQSA Act.
TEQSA Chief Executive Officer Alistair Maclean welcomed the court’s decision.
“TEQSA selected this website because we believed we were able to demonstrate its operators were in breach of Australian law,” Mr Maclean said.
“This decision supports TEQSA’s ongoing work to reduce the risk posed by commercial academic cheating services to student interests and the reputation and standing of Australian higher education.”