Western Sydney University dan University of Newcastle are alleged to have offered and ran courses that were said to be accredited, yet a number of students already on the path to complete their degrees or have already completed their degrees discovered that they were not accredited.
In the case of the University of Newcastle, the problematic degree in question is the Bachelor of Medical Engineering and in Western Sydney University the Master of Advanced Imaging MRI. For students, consequences rising from the degrees not being accredited by relevant bodies include facing limitations to career progress despite having spent or taken loans of tens of thousands of Australian dollars to complete their education.
SBS Indonesian spoke to Peter Fagan, a solicitor from Australian Law Partners, which is currently managing the two cases.
There has been increasing pressure on marketing for Australian Universities to promote degrees and attract more students, against the background of multiple issues such as post-pandemic resource difficulties and merging of faculties, he said, adding that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) could play a stronger role in taking action against universities proven to have violated regulations or ethics.
Indah Melindasari, a registered migration agent and Managing Director for ONEderland Consulting said that in some cases complications could arise in the process of international students making their way to Australian Permanent Residency via university education, due to educational institutions shutting down or poor communications between education or training providers and students.
In a statement to SBS Indonesian dated the 24th of February 2026, The University of Newcastle said that it has filed a defence and intends to respond to the claims through the proper legal channel. Western Sydney University, in a statement dated December 16 2025 to SBS Indonesian, said that it has also filed its defence and it was confident of the outcome.
Listen to the full podcast.
