Coordination of post-secondary education institutions means regulation with the aim of developing greater consistancy and overall efficiency, and avoiding overlap of functions and resource waste. Australian coordination plans must balance freedom for academic institutions with the need to be assured these institutions are serving society's needs. Coordination of post-secondary education is essential on four levels: (1) within each sector--the university, the college, and technical and further education; (2) across post-secondary education as a whole; (3) between post-secondary education and other education; and (4) between post-secondary education and employment. Coordination may come from the central government or a special agency. If by special agency, it may be through advisory committees, ministerial departments, or statutory authority. Or, finally, it might come through a statewide multicampus system. Coordinating agencies have previously put most emphasis on short-term planning and management functions, but some authors believe their key function should be long-term planning. When establishing coordinating agencies, problems to be solved include tension between agencies and educational institutions, the difficulty of finding high quality staff, and the tendency for administrative structure to become more important than the educational enterprise itself. (Author/JM)