Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) 2021

# Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Bill 2021 ## What it does Universities and other registered higher education providers will now pay a charge to fund TEQSA, the government body that regulates the quality and standards of Australian higher education. The charge amount will be set by regulations (rules made by government) rather than being fixed in the law itself. ## Why it matters This is essentially shifting the cost of university regulation from taxpayers generally to universities themselves. Universities will likely pass some or all of this cost on to students through fees or operational adjustments, so it could indirectly affect your education expenses. ## Key details - **Starts 1 January 2022**: The charge kicks in from the start of 2022 - **Who pays**: Every registered higher education provider (universities and other approved institutions) must pay — there's no way around it unless you're specifically exempted - **Amount not set yet**: The bill doesn't say how much the charge will be; that gets decided later through regulations, so the actual cost to universities won't be public until those rules are released

🔒 Voting closed — this bill has been decided by parliament