TEQSA and industry professional accreditation bodies with links to the higher education sector have a mutual interest in maintaining and improving quality in the provision of Australian higher education.
We have agreed that the following principles should guide our engagement with industry professional accreditation bodies:
- the development of a complementary approach to course accreditation processes and requirements
- the use of professional bodies as a source of expert advice
- the sharing of information with professional bodies to inform our regulatory activity and to protect the interests of students and the higher education sector
- encouraging alignment of professional outcomes with learning outcome requirements of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)
- fostering communication between TEQSA and professional bodies regarding each other’s respective roles.
We are currently working with a sample of bodies responsible for regulating and/or accrediting TEQSA-accredited programs. Our primary aim will be to explore the possibility of complementary and streamlined accreditation processes.
Additionally, we are building relationships with a broad range of bodies that have a statutory responsibility for:
- regulating a profession
- accrediting related professional programs.
For example, professional registration and accreditation bodies in medical or engineering fields.
As a first step in this process, we have prepared a set of Information Guidelines that specify the Commonwealth, State or Territory authorities we may share higher education information with under Sections 189 and 194 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act).
Industry Professional Accreditation Quality Assurance Agency agreements
TEQSA has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the following industry professional accreditation bodies, to facilitate the sharing of information and reduce regulatory burden on higher education providers through joint and streamlined approaches to assessment.
To speak to us about our MOUs, contact: comms@teqsa.gov.au
Departments, agencies and peak bodies
Organisation |
Date of signing |
| Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission | 13 November 2013 |
| Overseas Students Ombudsman | 17 January 2014 |
| English Australia | 22 March 2016 |
| Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) | 7 July 2016 |
| Department of Education and Training | 14 October 2016 |
| Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) (formerly ACPET) | 8 February 2017 |
| Australian Council of Professions (Professions Australia) | 20 February 2017 |
| Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA) (formerly the Council of Private Higher Education) | 23 February 2017 |
| Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) | 6 March 2017 |
Education
Organisation |
Date of signing |
| Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership | 7 October 2015 |
| Queensland College of Teachers | 1 September 2016 |
| Teachers Registration Board of South Australia | 21 November 2016 |
| Victorian Institute of Teaching | 9 January 2017 |
| National ELT Accreditation Scheme Ltd (NEAS) | 20 February 2017 |
| Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority | 6 March 2017 |
| Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) | 20 September 2017 |
| National Union of Students (NUS) | 21 September 2017 |
| Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations Incorporated | 10 November 2017 |
| Council of International Students Australia (CISA) | 29 November 2017 |
| National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Associations (NATSIPA) |
30 November 2017 |
| Union of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students | 9 July 2018 |
| National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC) |
16 November 2018 |
| Teachers Registration Board Northern Territory | 14 December 2018 |
| Teachers Registration Board Tasmania | 17 December 2018 |
| Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching (CAULLT) | 2 September 2019 |
| Teachers Registration Board South Australia | 11 September 2019 |
Health
Organisation |
Date of signing |
| Australian Medical Council | 13 July 2016 |
| Speech Pathology Australia | 5 December 2016 |
| Australasian Osteopathic Accreditation Council | 13 February 2017 |
| Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council | 21 February 2017 |
| Occupational Therapy Council (Australia and New Zealand) | 8 March 2017 |
| Australian Pharmacy Council | 7 April 2017 |
| Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand | 1 August 2017 |
| Australian Psychology Accreditation Council | 7 December 2017 |
| Australian and New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council | 29 May 2018 |
| Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board (Safety Institute of Australian Ltd) | 8 August 2018 |
| Health Professions Accreditation Collaborative Forum | 8 November 2018 |
| Australian Physiotherapy Council | 18 December 2018 |
| Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) | 1 February 2019 |
| Australian Society of Dermal Clinicians (ASDC) | 18 March 2019 |
| Australian Dental Council | 25 March 2019 |
| Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia (CCEA) | 8 May 2019 |
| Audiology Australia (AudA) | 22 August 2019 |
Industry
Organisation |
Date of signing |
| CPA Australia | 9 April 2015 |
| Engineers Australia | 30 June 2016 |
| The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education |
7 September 2016 |
| Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) | 7 October 2016 |
| Australasian Veterinary Board Council Inc. | 25 October 2016 |
| Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS) | 28 October 2016 |
| Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) / Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) |
27 April 2018 |
| Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) | 8 October 2018 |
| Australasian Supply Chain Institute (ASCI) | 18 October 2018 |
| Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA) | 19 February 2019 |
| Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) | 6 March 2019 |
| Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) | 22 August 2019 |