Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Cost Recovery) 2021

# Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Cost Recovery) 2021 ## What it does Australian universities and registered higher education providers will now be required to pay a charge to cover the cost of regulation by TEQSA (the agency that oversees higher education quality and standards). This bill updates the rules to enforce payment of these charges and sets out what happens if providers don't pay on time. ## Why it matters Instead of taxpayers footing the full bill for university regulation, universities themselves will now share the cost. This could eventually flow through to students or affect university budgets, depending on how individual institutions respond. ## Key details - **Who pays**: All registered higher education providers (mainly universities) must pay the charge when it's due - **Late payment**: There are penalties for universities that don't pay on time, with TEQSA able to issue payment extension notices - **How it works**: The actual charge amount is set out in a separate law (the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Act 2021), which also had to pass before this bill could take effect

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