Professor Coaldrake takes over from Professor Nicholas Saunders AO, who has been in the role at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) for the last five years. 

TEQSA is the national higher education regulator which regulates all higher education providers against a set of threshold standards. 

Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said Professor Coaldrake’s long and distinguished career in higher education will be a great benefit to the agency.  

“As a long–time Universities Australia board member and former Chair, Professor Coaldrake brings a deep knowledge of higher education to the role,” Ms Jackson said.  

“Thanks to his experience as one of Australia’s longest serving Vice-Chancellors, Professor Coaldrake has a thorough understanding of TEQSA’s important role applying appropriate regulation to the self-accrediting university sector.”  

Ms Jackson thanked Professor Saunders for constructively working with the sector during his tenure as Chief Commissioner.  

“In recent times, Professor Saunders has understood the difficulties facing universities during the COVID-19 pandemic and has made concerted efforts to minimise regulatory burden.” 

From 2003 to 2017, Professor Coaldrake was Vice-Chancellor of Queensland University of Technology. During that time, he was also made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to the higher education sector.  

Most recently he completed the Review of Higher Education Provider Category Standards.  

Professor Coaldrake is the author of several well-regarded books about the university sector, including Raising the Stakes: Gambling with the future of universities (2016).