The Student Ombudsman is in business, but TEQSA is also still in the grievance game, setting out minimum actions it expects from institutions to meet the regulatory Threshold Standards.
They are out for consultation, in a new “interim statement of regulatory expectations,” which includes 26 characteristics of good practice, including;
- “a positive complaint management culture”
- “multiple options are available for students to lodge complaints”
- “complainants and respondents (where applicable) must be given a clear outline of the complaints process and a timeline for resolution”
- “policies and processes anticipate and offer protections against the risk of reprisals”
- “policies and processes anticipate and offer protections against the risk of reprisals”
* sufficient staff are employed to manage the volume and complexity of complaints” and “they receive appropriate training” - “the governing body is to ensure that appropriate responses are implemented to address serious or recurring complaint issues”
There is much more, but you get the idea. And it is all without mentioning what the Department of Education has in mind for enforcing the new code on preventing gender based violence in universities (FC February 21).
And if this looks like a bunch of work which might duplicate what is required for other agencies, the regulator assures its captive audience, “TEQSA will engage with the National Student Ombudsman and Department of Education around these proposed requirements to ensure there is no unnecessary burden on universities.”
But the regulator gives no inch on its authority.
“TEQSA is proposing an additional reporting requirement for universities to assure TEQSA that each university is meeting its obligations or actively taking steps to address issues. This is in keeping with TEQSA’s legislated requirements to ensure a proportionate regulatory response to risks to compliance with the Threshold Standards.”
