Re-spect, Peer Review, and then there is Audit (Provocation.1.)

Abstract

In 2009, on recommendation of a major review of higher education, the Australian Government announced its plans for a new, empowered regulatory authority. The review panel had remarked, among many other points, that current processes of the Australian Universities Quality Agency, AUQA, were ‘not sufficiently rigorous’ for the demanding, globally competitive future. Australia’s new Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) was confirmed and development activity is flowing into 2011. At January, Interim Advisory Arrangements are in place, and controversial invitation-only consultation meetings have commenced. TEQSA is charged to achieve a new regulatory approach – it is to integrate regulation and quality assurance (and 'standards') through risk assessment and ongoing monitoring by 'a national agency with teeth and escalating sanctions'. What baseline standards is a vexed issue, plus the length of the watchdog's teeth. The Minister says audit will be proportional to risk – low risk providers (universities?) will not be 'unnecessarily burdened'. TEQSA will subsume AUQA and will extend in due course to vocational education quality and standards. The Government’s emphasis on bringing together sectors separated by the traditions of educators (more than needs and intentions of individuals and industries), is a strategic and productivity breakthrough for Australians, and a gauntlet for educators. This paper, updated from the SSRN 2009 version, considers why a sharp shift from AUQA peer-based collegiate review of quality of university performance suddenly appeared vital. It also opens questions about 'risk' facets of peer review in academic practice.