Peter Coaldrake will vacate his seat as Chief Commissioner of TEQSA this Friday, prompting further speculation as to whether the Government will announce a new all-powerful Australian Tertiary Education Commission as part of next week’s Budget.
The Commission, proposed in the Accord Final Report, is expected to have a broad remit – as Craig Fowler outlines in his article on advice to an incoming ATEC head (Future Campus – below).
The resignation of the former QUT Vice-Chancellor was announced at the same time as Dr Mary Russell was appointed CEO of the Agency, after acting in the position since June 2023.
Dr Russell joined TEQSA after working in another regulatory role at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and has been appointed as CEO for a five-year term.
Professor Coaldrake’s decision to step down creates yet another leadership vacancy in the sector, as institutions brace for change through the Accord, Federal Government bravado over student visa restrictions and AI. The regulator has faced a raft of recent changes and is widely expected to report to the ATEC if the new Commission is established.
As Jason Clare mulls the best time to announce his new regulatory framework, one thing is certain – a group of new and/or relocated HE leaders will be occupying a significant fraction of the sector’s leadership hot seats over the next 12 months.
