July 29, 2024

IRU response to the Universities Accord implementation consultation paper on the Australian Tertiary Education Commission

The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Australian Government’s proposed approach to the establishment of a new Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC). The ATEC is an important part of the integrated policy and funding reforms needed to meet the goals of the Universities Accord, and a new ATEC can play a critical role in strengthening leadership, oversight, collaboration, trust and accountability. However, the model as set out in the consultation paper will not deliver the independence or capability that the ATEC would need to deliver on its proposed functions.

The IRU believes there are six key issues that need to be addressed in order to establish a successful ATEC:

• Level of independence
• Capability and resourcing
• Governance structure
• Collaboration with the sector
• Addressing missing priorities
• Phasing implementation.

The goal is a more balanced, equitable and innovative university system that is set up to meet the future needs of the nation. An independent ATEC – autonomous but accountable – would provide system-level oversight for national targets while fostering innovation and differentiation, incentivising universities to focus on their distinct missions and communities.

The IRU makes the following recommendations for next steps. These are threshold conditions for the establishment of a successful ATEC:

1. That government further develops the ATEC model in consultation with the sector, with a focus on its statutory role and independence, governance structure, and priorities that are not adequately reflected in its functions as currently defined.
2. That government allocates specific funding for the establishment of the ATEC in the 2024-25 mid-year Budget process, with resourcing to support its scale-up over time.
3. That government provides a consolidated response to all of the recommendations from the Accord review report, which clarifies priorities and how implementation will be staged over time. This should also clarify which priorities the ATEC will be tasked with progressing once it is established and which (for example, reform of the Job-Ready Graduates package) can be prioritised and progressed in parallel by the Department.

Read the full submission here.