TEQSA Annual Report 2016-2017

This report informs Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training, the Parliament of Australia, the Australian higher education community and the general public about the performance of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA or the agency) during the financial year ending 30 June 2017. Prepared according to parliamentary reporting requirements, the report describes TEQSA's achievements against the purposes and indicators set out in the "TEQSA Corporate Plan 2016-20" and in TEQSA's "2016-17 Portfolio Budget Statements." Section 1 of the report reflects on the past year, highlighting significant issues faced by TEQSA and initiatives undertaken, as well as current and future challenges. Section 2 provides information about TEQSA and its governance, roles and functions and organisational structure, as well as its approach to risk and standards-based regulation. Section 3 reports on how TEQSA performed during the reporting period against the purposes set out in the "TEQSA Corporate Plan 2016-20," and its stated outcome and program deliverables contained in the "2016-17 Portfolio Budget Statements." Section 4 provides information on corporate governance, external and internal accountability, human resource management, financial management, purchasing, consultants and contract management, legal services and other activities relevant to the administration of the agency. Section 5 presents audited financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2017. Section 6, Appendixes, includes information relating to TEQSA's staffing and its performance in relation to Australian Government environmental, disability, freedom of information and financial management outcomes. Lastly, Section 7 contains indices and glossaries. [For "TEQSA Annual Report 2015-2016" see ED573132.]