The Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) is an independent steward for the higher education system, tasked with creating a better and fairer tertiary education system that delivers for students and on national economic and social objectives.
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The Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) has commenced interim operation and intends to be fully operational by 2026, subject to the passage of legislation.
In the 2024-2025 Budget, the Government committed to establishing an ATEC as an independent higher education steward. The ATEC will focus on making sure universities do their part to deliver on the Government’s commitment to lift tertiary education attainment to 80 per cent of working aged people by 2050 and raising equity participation and attainment. It will make sure that there are enough places at universities to allow more people to be able to access the opportunities that a higher education can deliver.
The establishment of ATEC was one of the key recommendations of the Australian Universities Accord and is central to setting the tertiary education system up for the future.
The ATEC will work with the sector and across governments to drive a joined-up tertiary system to drive better pathways for students between the vocational education and training and higher education sectors. It will also foster partnerships with First Nations people and organisations to embed First Nations perspectives in its advice.