|
Proposed amendment |
|
Relevant overview sections of the legislation will be amended to identify different types of higher education providers, particularly universities |
|
Any decision to approve a new higher education provider will be made disallowable by the Parliament |
|
Greater clarity in the legislation will be provided by linking the relevant assessment provision to the requirement relating to an institution’s financial viability |
|
The time in which an institution is required to provide a financial statement after the end of the financial year will be extended from 4 to 6 months |
|
The quality requirements will be made clearer by linking them to relevant assessment provisions in the legislation |
|
A change to the legislation will provide that institutions listed in Table A will be exempt from this provision and subject to quality assessment arrangements as agreed with the institution |
|
The legislation will specify that quality auditing arrangements will be subject to agreement between the institution and the quality auditing body and that a quality auditing body must engage fairly with the institution |
|
Institutions listed in Table A will continue to be required to have grievance procedures in place but will be exempted from detailed requirements spelt out in the legislation |
|
The section of the legislation dealing with guidelines for review procedures will be explicitly linked to the requirement to have a review procedure for decisions made under the Act which affect students |
|
The legislation will specify that institutions only need notify the Minister of any event that may affect their meeting conditions of grant if that event will have a ‘significant’ effect |
|
Guidelines in relation to the setting of fees for international students will be made disallowable by the Parliament |
|
Any revocation of a higher education provider can only take effect after the period of disallowance has expired |
|
When determining allocation of places, the legislation will specify that the Minister will consider the views of institutions |
|
The legislation will specify that funding agreements be made public, and that the Minister enters into funding agreements with institutions |
|
The legislation will specify that the Minister should have regard for matters that providers would like to have specified in their funding agreements |
|
The legislation will be amended to provide institutions with the flexibility to under-enrol to a value of up to 1% of their funding before their funding is adjusted |
|
The legislation will be amended so that penalties for over-enrolment will be set at the average student contribution of the institution |
|
The legislation will specify the Minister’s discretion to pay up to 1% in additional funding for shifts in the cost of places provided under the Commonwealth Grant Scheme |
|
Clarify that the requirement for 50% of student places in relevant courses to be Commonwealth supported applies only in respect of domestic places |
|
Unnecessary requirements in the legislation in relation to the management of scholarships will be removed |
|
The legislation will indicate that the Minister is to determine a reduction or repayment of grant |
|
The legislation will explicitly indicate that the guidelines may specify the circumstances in which a student accrues Learning Entitlement to encourage lifelong learning |
|
The legislation will be amended so that maximum student contributions cannot be varied by guidelines |
|
Unnecessary provisions in relation to FEE-HELP assistance will be removed |
|
OS-HELP requirements will no longer require that a provider must have an arrangement with the overseas institution |
|
Unnecessary requirements in relation to the management of OS-HELP will be removed |
|
Where possible, duplication in the legislation relating to the provision of information to the Minister by institutions will be removed |
