Education and research in Australia operates under sustained regulatory scrutiny, complex funding frameworks and rising public accountability. Providers, institutions and investors face decisions where compliance failures and reputational exposure carry consequences well beyond the matter at hand.
Thomsons advises public and private education providers, ed-tech companies, research institutions and investors on governance, transactions, commercialisation and sector-specific compliance. The practice covers the full lifecycle: establishment, funding, commercial deployment and institutional governance.
Areas of expertise
Registration and accreditation under TEQSA and ASQA carry direct consequences for institutional viability. We determine where providers stand against the Standards Framework, resolve compliance gaps before they become regulatory events, and prepare institutions to meet scrutiny at each accreditation cycle.
Research outcomes lose value when the legal structures around them are poorly constructed. We structure IP ownership, licensing arrangements and spin-off vehicles to convert institutional research into durable commercial positions. Collaboration agreements with industry and government are drafted to allocate risk and returns with precision, protecting the institution's long-term interests without impeding the research relationship.
Technology contracts in education carry obligations that extend well beyond procurement. We negotiate software licensing terms, structure data governance frameworks, and determine compliance positions under the Privacy Act and applicable education-sector obligations. Where platforms interact with student data or integrate with regulated frameworks, the legal architecture must hold under operational pressure and regulatory scrutiny.
Government funding agreements and PPP structures in the education sector impose accountability obligations that persist long after execution. We construct and negotiate these arrangements to protect institutional autonomy, define performance obligations with precision, and limit exposure on conditions that are difficult to satisfy or measure.
Governance failures in educational institutions are exposed quickly – by regulators, by auditors, and by the courts. We design governance frameworks and board accountability mechanisms that reflect the institution's legal obligations and withstand external review. Director duty compliance programs are structured to operate in practice, not merely on paper. When accountability is tested, the framework either holds or it does not.
Our experience
National education provider – Operational restructure
Advised a major post-secondary institution on a nationwide operational restructure. We developed the implementation strategy and managed large-scale staff redundancies.
University – Iconic campus redevelopment
Acted for a university in refurbishing an iconic campus building and its surrounds. Our work included structuring long-term leases, planning relocations, and arranging temporary facilities during construction.
Large education provider – Conduct management
Advised on performance and conduct processes involving staff, including overseeing external investigations and negotiating exits, demotions, and terminations in sensitive circumstances.
Successfully acted to overturn a Commonwealth regulator’s decision to deregister a private higher education provider, securing renewal of its accreditation for six years.
Queensland University of Technology – IP commercialisation
Assisted the Queensland University of Technology with the global licensing of its QCAV-4 banana, the world's first genetically modified banana to be approved for commercial production.