In Australia and globally, there is a push for accountability systems that focus on impact on student learning as an indicator of teacher quality. Therefore, how the impact is defined in Australian policy documents in teacher education must be made clear before it can be enacted in practice. This study uses Foucauldian archaeology and associated discourse analysis techniques to trace impact through three Australian policy documents. Findings reveal that the evidence base for prioritising impact in the recent lexicon of Australian initial teacher education (ITE) policy is based on specific and shifting ways of thinking around the concept, with only certain voices being heard in the debate. The authors recommend ways for thinking about impact more holistically and using broader sensibilities.