TEQSA CEO Alistair McClean has resigned-Resignation coincides with TEQSA-PwC-Top Group IPO revelations ; McClean failed to investigate the "fishy smell" surrounding TEQSA and the NSW LPAB's business with Top Group founder Zhu Minshen

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

Campus Morning Mail reported on 9 June 2023
:

Alistair Maclean  has resigned from the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency

TEQSA confirmed his departure in a statement last night in which agency Chief Commissioner Peter Coaldrake, “acknowledged Mr Maclean for his contribution.”

Mary Russell will be acting CEO until further notice. Dr Russell is ED for Regulatory Operations at the agency.

Mr Maclean is a former CEO of Victoria’s anti-corruption commission, a one-time ambassador to Laos and served as an advisor to John Howard in his last months as prime minister.

Mr Maclean was appointed to TEQSA in August 2020, during the tenure of then coalition education minister Dan Tehan.

McClean's resignation coincides with the revelation on June 14 2023 that PwC partners invested in the Top IPO while advising TEQSA.

While at TEQSA McClean failed to investigate what Clive Hamilton has described as the "fishy smell"  surrounding the approvals provided (the since deceased)  Zhu Minshen and his Top Group to establish a private college that offered business and LLB degree courses. Zhu was linked to the Communist Party China, political donations, and influence peddling on behalf of the CPC .

Zhu was also linked to the Sam Dastiyari political donation scandal. All that did not prevent the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board and TEQSA from granting to Zhu and Top  the one and only license to award law degrees granted a body that was not an university, and a private sector company.

During his tenure as TEQSA CEO Top's share price has slipped to just above HK 0.06, but that does not seem to have bothered  McClean, TEQSA and the NSW LPAB.

To Be Read With 

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Weakening Top Group share price a fitting epitaph to Nick Saunders last day as Chief Commissioner , TESQA-Saunders leaves behind much that TEQSA CEO Alistair McClean must not ignore

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

Professor Nick Saunders AO (Chief Commissioner)
Australia's education sector putting money ahead of standards :

The trend continues, aided and abetted by TEQSA

Today is the last day on the job for TEQSA Chief Commissioner Nick Saunders. Emeritus Professor Peter Coaldrake AO takes over on 1 March 2021. 

Saunders departure coincides with a further weakening in Zhu Minshen's Top Education Group Ltd's share price.  The approvals Saunders and the NSW LPAB granted Zhu enabled him to list Top Education on the HKSE. Saunders and his counterpart at the NSW LPAB, Tom Bathurst (the Chief Justice NSW) renewed all approvals even after Top's share price collapsed immediately after the the IPO and listing. 

It is the duty of the recently appointed TEQSA CEO,  Alistair McClean, to accurately document the reasons that have led to all of the above, and more. Much of  it is now a matter of public record. The rest is contained in TEQSA's records, including Saunders' email correspondence with this writer. 

END 

SEE ALSO 

TEQSA's Nick Saunders has not explained special treatment afforded CPC linked Zhu Minshen and his Top Education Group-How will TEQSA assist Australian universities subject to China bullying

Students, investors, the public (and real auditors) would be interested to know why NSW LPAB chose Gordon Elkington (formerly ASX:SEX) to lead the Top Group law school approval project

Note also that this has come about as a result of TEQSA attempting to cover-up complaints against the College Of Law Sydney

Escalating investigation into the College Of Law Sydney's business in Malaysia calls for intervention by Cth AG Christian Porter : Cth intervention required given regulatory failures by NSW AG Speakman and his officers at the NSW LPAB