As a result of an agreement between the Commonwealth and
the States, the establishment of the Committee on Overseas
Professional Qualifications was announced by the then Minister for Immigration, the Honourable B.M. Snedden on 29 March 1969. The Committee's terms of reference were to seek out, assemble and collate information relevant to the recognition of overseas professional qualifications; to make evaluations of the comparability to
Australian standards of professional qualifications obtained in overseas countries; and to supply information on these matters to government bodies, professional associations and other responsible inquirers. The original membership of the Committee consisted of Dr. D.M. Meyers, Chairman, Mr. G.W.E. Barraclough, Professor E.G. Saint and Mr. D.R. Zeidler.
 
Originally 100% of the Committee's caseload came from the
Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (i.e. from overseas posts considering migrant applications). By 1980, this figure was reduced to 55%, the balance coming from within the Australian Community. Many of the requests received from within Australia came from employers, registration boards and professional associations. In these cases, the individuals concerned had sought recognition of their qualifications usually with a view to being allowed to practise their professions in Australia. Another source of enquiries was found in the Australian educational system. Colleges and
universities which received enrolment applications from persons with foreign qualifications, increasingly sought access to the Committee's information pool.
 
In 1978, the Committee's terms of reference were amended to extend its responsibilities to include sub-professional, technical and general academic qualifications, as well as those at the professional level.  
In accepting the major recommendations of the report of the
"Committee of Inquiry into recognition of Overseas Qualifications in Australia", the Commonwealth Government replaced the Committee in June 1984 with the Council on Overseas Professional Qualifications.  
Sources:
 
Committee on Overseas Professional Qualifications, First Report, December 1969.
 
Council on Overseas Professional Qualifications, Annex to the Council's First Report "Report on Activities of the Committee on Overseas Professional Qualifications for the Period 1 Jan. 1984 to 30 Jun. 1984".
 

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