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This paper explores the constraints and possibilities for a more integrated and seamless provision of tertiary education in Australia, offering a perspective from outside the university sector, and focusing on the interface between universities and TAFE. The paper draws on the submissions and evidence to the West Committee and the current parliamentary inquiry into the role of institutes of TAFE, to examine some key tensions and possibilities. These include: (1) appropriate purposes and knowledge paradigms for tertiary education; (2) adequacy of current coordination and collaboration as a basis for a seamless system; (3) potential of a more competitive system to expand and diversify educational participation and provision; and (4) role of student demand and preferences in determining resource allocation between sectors as well as within them.