ATEC Statement of Strategic Priorities webinar recording now available

ATEC’s role as system steward depends on genuine engagement with the people and communities that make up Australia’s tertiary education system. The SSP is an opportunity for students, providers and other stakeholders to help shape ATEC’s priorities for 2027 and 2028.  

The 2027-28 SSP Consultation Paper is specifically seeking feedback on whether the draft outcomes meaningfully reflect progress towards the National Tertiary Education Objective and ATEC’s legislated goals; and whether the draft priorities appropriately reflect the key areas that ATEC should focus on throughout 2027 and 2028.

ATEC particularly welcomes feedback on what is missing, where the proposed priorities should be sharpened, and where ATEC can make the greatest difference through its stewardship of the system. Alongside public consultation, ATEC is engaging with tertiary education stakeholders and student representatives.

Engagement will not end when the SSP is finalised. ATEC will continue to engage with students, providers other stakeholders as it undertakes its broader stewardship role, so that its priorities, advice and decisions are informed by experience across the entire tertiary education system.

ATEC is centring First Nations self-determination and leadership in the SSP because, consistent with the Australian Universities Accord, First Nations people should be at the heart of the tertiary education system. The Universities Accord affirms First Nations self-determination as a fundamental principle, including that First Nations peoples need to be the custodians of the policies, programs and funding that support their participation and success, and have a role in decision-making nationally and within individual institutions.  

For ATEC, this means moving beyond participation and consultation to meaningful First Nations leadership, authority and influence over the decisions and structures that shape the system.  First Nations peoples are not simply participants in the system, but leaders and decision-makers who should help shape governance, strategy, policy, programs, funding and accountability. Equity and self-determination are mutually reinforcing: lasting improvements in participation and success require First Nations leadership in how those outcomes are sustainably pursued.  

This principle is embedded in ATEC’s institutional architecture through the legislated First Nations Commissioner, Professor Mark Rose AM, and soon-to-be-established First Nations Advisory Committee. Together, these arrangements provide a permanent basis for First Nations leadership and advice to shape ATEC’s stewardship and reform of the system.

The SSP outlines ATEC’s proposed outcomes and priorities for the tertiary education system.  

The tertiary education system is embedded in each priority, recognising that achieving the National Tertiary Education Objective requires coordinated action across both systems. While some priorities may have greater focus on one system, together they are intended to support an integrated and accessible tertiary education system.  

In particular, the Joined-Up Tertiary System priority focuses on improving the connection between VET and higher education.

Many of the outcomes Australia needs from tertiary education cannot be delivered by individual providers, or by the tertiary education system acting alone. ATEC is therefore proposing Collaboration as a strategic priority to encourage providers to work collectively, and with industry, schools, communities and governments, where coordinated action can improve outcomes for students, communities and the nation.  

Collaboration is distinct from, but complementary to, the Joined-Up Tertiary System priority. The Joined-Up Tertiary System priority focuses specifically on stronger connections between higher education and VET, including pathways and movement across the tertiary system. Collaboration is broader: it is about bringing together universities and partners within and beyond tertiary education to tackle shared challenges, build capability and achieve outcomes that cross institutional and sectoral boundaries.  

The Australian Universities Accord Final Report demonstrates why this matters across the student lifecycle. Improving aspiration, preparedness and participation can require sustained partnerships between higher education providers, schools and communities; better education-to-employment outcomes require stronger engagement with employers and industry; and research translation and commercialisation depend on effective collaboration between researchers, industry, government and communities.

In practice, Collaboration could mean providers sharing effective practice and capability rather than unnecessarily duplicating effort; deeper school-university and community partnerships; co-designed education and work-integrated learning with industry; and stronger research, translation and commercialisation partnerships. For ATEC, Collaboration is not an outcome in itself. It is a means of improving student outcomes, strengthening of institutional and system capability, and making the tertiary education system more effective, connected and resilient.

ATEC recognises that a safe, inclusive and high-quality student experience is fundamental to student participation, success and attainment. The proposed Student Experience and Safety priority recognises safety as a foundational condition or a positive student experience, while taking a broader view of the factors that enable students to participate, belong and succeed throughout their tertiary education.

The proposed priority would focus on the experience of all students, while recognising different cohorts can face distinct barriers, risks and support needs. This includes domestic and international students, First Nations students, students with disability and other cohorts across an increasingly diverse tertiary education system. ATEC’s focus is on encouraging institutions and the broader system to provide safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments and to use student experience, evidence and feedback to drive continuous improvement.

Progress against the outcomes and priorities outlined in the SSP will be assessed and reported at both the provider level and system level.

ATEC is developing a performance framework to support the evaluation of ATEC’s activities and system level monitoring, which will inform the annual State of the Tertiary Education System report. This report will provide an independent assessment of the performance, strengths, challenges and emerging trends across Australia’s tertiary education sector.  

At the provider level, mission based compacts (compacts) contain a targeted set of measurable performance indicators to provide a consistent basis for understanding progress. Most indicators in the compacts draw from existing data sources, including the Higher Education Statistics Collection, that providers are required to report on. Some measures allow providers to use their own institutional indicators and data.  

From 2028, the ATEC must assess outcomes against the commitments and measures in each provider’s compact at least once per calendar year.  

Together, these mechanisms will help ensure transparency, accountability and an ongoing focus on achieving the objectives of the National Tertiary Education Objective.

ATEC does not expect to create overlapping accountability mechanisms. The SSP is intended to support system stewardship rather than provider regulation, as ATEC is not a regulator.  ATEC intends to draw primarily on existing data collections, performance information and regulatory reporting wherever possible. ATEC will work closely with providers, regulators and government bodies to minimise duplication and avoid onerous reporting requirements.

ATEC acknowledges that professional staff play a critical role in all university activities, from strategy development and outreach activities through to load planning, delivering equity programs and developing models for collaboration with VET providers.  

The SSP proposed Quality Teaching priority is intended to recognise the broad workforce that closely contributes to teaching, including professional staff involved in all aspects of the student journey through learning design, curriculum development and student support.