Bill
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Bill 2021
passed, as at 2021-08-13. Education, Skills and Employment portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Education, Skills and Employment
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2021-05-13
- second reading — 2021-05-13
- second reading — 2021-05-25
- second reading — 2021-05-25
- third reading — 2021-05-25
- introduced — 2021-06-15
- second reading — 2021-06-15
- second reading — 2021-08-03
- second reading — 2021-08-05
- second reading — 2021-08-05
- committee — 2021-08-05
- committee — 2021-08-09
- third reading — 2021-08-09
- passed — 2021-08-09
- royal assent — 2021-08-13
Divisions
- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debate/?id=2021-05-25.110.15) to keep the usual second reading motion unchanged. The usual second reading motion is "*that the bill be [read a second time](https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/making-a-law-in-the-australian-parliament/)*," which is parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill. Sydney MP [Tanya Plibersek](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/sydney/tanya_plibersek) (Labor) proposed to change it with the amendment below. ### Amendment text > *That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:* > > *"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House notes that the bill places a further impost on universities as they continue to face an unprecedented crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the Government has failed Australian university students and staff by:* > > *(1) excluding universities from COVID support; and* > > *(2) making it more expensive for thousands of Australian students to get a university education".* — 2021-05-25, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 78, noes 68
- Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Bill 2021 - Second Reading - Agree with the bill's main idea — 2021-05-25, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 80, noes 68
- The majority voted against an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2021-08-03.10.1) introduced by NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi (Greens), which means it failed. This amendment would have added the words below to a [motion](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/divisions/senate/2021-08-05/6) that the bill be read a [second time](https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/making-a-law-in-the-australian-parliament/) (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). ### Amendment text > *At the end of the motion, add: ", but the Senate is of the opinion that:* > > *(a) the Morrison Government is on a relentless mission to decimate the higher education sector;* > > *(b) these two bills represent a worrying continuation in the Government's larger pattern of defunding the higher education sector and shifting the costs of providing higher education away from the Commonwealth; and* > > *(c) education is a public good, which should be publicly funded".* — 2021-08-05, Senate: negative, ayes 11, noes 15
- Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Bill 2021 and another - Second Reading - Agree with bills' main idea — 2021-08-05, Senate: affirmative, ayes 14, noes 12
- Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Bill 2021 and another - in Committee - Keep bills in current form — 2021-08-09, Senate: affirmative, ayes 18, noes 16
- Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Bill 2021 and another - Third Reading - Pass the bills — 2021-08-09, Senate: affirmative, ayes 18, noes 16
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2021-05-13.
The bill would create a new fee for registered higher education providers to cover the costs of TEQSA's monitoring and oversight activities.
It would allow TEQSA to collect the fee through associated changes to the TEQSA Act, with the amount set by regulation after stakeholder consultation.
The fee would be phased in from 1 January 2022, starting at 20 per cent of costs, rising to 50 per cent on 1 January 2023, and reaching full cost recovery from 1 January 2024.
- Establishes a new charge on registered higher education providers to recover TEQSA's sector risk monitoring and regulatory oversight costs.
- Authorises regulations to prescribe the charge amount, including indexation, and to exempt providers from paying.
- Phases in the charge over three years starting 1 January 2022, with percentages increasing to full cost recovery by 1 January 2024.
Registered higher education providers and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.
Sources
em
em supp
billhome
frl act