Quality and Quality Assurance (QA)

It is vital that the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is able to effectively sustain the national and international reputation of Australian degrees.  As the current cycle of consultation on the revised AQF framework draws to a conclusion, CAPA has released a brief statement in support of the quality of Australian postgraduate degrees.

This report outlines the key issues and priorities for Australia’s 280,000+ postgraduate students in the lead up to the 2010 Federal Election. The report is informed by the efforts of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) to support improvements and reforms for postgraduates for over 30 years, as well as ongoing engagement and consultation on the interests and needs of this important group.

The AQF Council is seeking stakeholder comments on the full package of specifications and policies as part of a strengthened AQF.

The AQF Council met on Wednesday 16 June 2010 and agreed on the package of policies that should comprise the strengthened AQF, including:

On 24 June 2010 the Senate referred the Education Services for Overseas Students Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 for inquiry and report.

The Bill amends the ESOS Act 2000 in relation to:

• the registration process for approved providers;
• financial penalties;
• the publication of certain information.

The Bill amends the Ombudsman Act 1976 to enable the Ombudsman to:

[Below is an edited version of the information available on the DIISR website].

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) has welcomed the release of the Consultation Paper for informing the development of the Federal Government’s Research Workforce Strategy. The Consultation Paper follows directly from Building Australia's Research Capacity, the Final report from the 2008 House of Reps Inquiry into Research Training and Research Workforce Issues.

CAPA welcomes the announcement by the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) that the Australian University Quality Agency (AUQA) will continue in its current role as the national quality assurance agency until the new regulatory arrangements for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) are fully implemented.  “This decision will offer some assurance that the international reputation of the Australian higher education system will not