This occasional paper is the third in a series on the National Quality Framework (NQF). The paper reports on activities to promote consistency and efficiency in the implementation and administration of the NQF, which are key functions of the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) under the Education and Care Services National Law (the National Law).

Given the joint governance arrangements in place for the NQF, striving for consistency and efficiency is a collaborative effort between the eight state and territory regulatory authorities, the Australian Government and ACECQA. The paper highlights the breadth and depth of collaboration to identify, implement and review approaches to promote consistency and efficiency under the NQF. This is intended to offer visibility and assurance to external stakeholders of these collaborative strategies and activities, much of which occurs ‘behind the scenes’.

In the context of the NQF, consistency is most importantly about the outcomes that result from the way the NQF is administered.

The paper provides an overview of ACECQA’s approach to consistency, which is outlined in ACECQA’s National Consistency Strategy and Implementation Plan 2015-16. The plan, published in October 2015, is informed by the experiences of service providers and guided by the principles of best practice regulation. It identifies seven consistency related priorities:

• training and support for authorised officers employed by state and territory regulatory authorities to administer the NQF
• national audits of aspects of the NQF
• application and assessment functions
• sector and family communications
• analysis of assessment and rating data
• collaboration with state and territory regulatory authorities, and other partner organisations
• maintaining and enhancing the National Quality Agenda Information Technology
• System (NQA ITS), the national IT system used by state and territory regulatory
• authorities to administer the NQF.