The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme

Background

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) at its meeting of 26 March 2008 signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on the Australian health workforce, for the first time creating a single national registration and accreditation system. Ten health professions, including osteopathy, will be included in the national system as of 1 July 2010.

Legislation has now been passed in Queensland that establishes a national registration scheme for 10 health professions. Legislation (known as Bill C) is being introduced in all states and territories to adopt this scheme from 1 July 2010 so that from that point all registrants are included in the national scheme. Bill C passed the NSW Parliament on 26 November 2009 and given Royal Ascent on 8 December 2009.

What happens on 1 July 2010

If you are a registered practitioner in NSW on 30 June 2010, you will automatically be registered under the new scheme from 1 July 2010. Your current registration will expire on 30 June 2010. It is most important that you make sure that you have paid your annual renewal by the due date.

Prior to commencement of the new legislation, you will be personally advised of how your current registration translates into registration under the new scheme (including how any endorsements placed on your current registration translate). It is expected that this will occur around April 2010.

If you currently have any conditions placed on your registration or have made undertakings to the Board relating to your registration, these will be carried forward to your registration under the new scheme.

How are registration renewal dates and registration fees affected by the new legislation?

During the first year of operation of the new scheme, all osteopaths will be brought into the same registration cycle. The new annual renewal date for osteopaths will be 30 November each year.

The registration fee to apply under the new system will be set by the National Board over the coming months. Information on new fee levels will be available well in advance of 1 July 2010.

There will be no change for you until the expiry of your existing registration after 1 July 2010. The new fee levels will apply from that point. Your first registration under the new scheme will be shorter than a 12-month period to bring you into the new renewal cycle. Your first registration fee under the national scheme will be adjusted to take account of the shorter period (ie in NSW this will be from 1 July 2011 to 30 November 2011).

If you are currently registered in a number of jurisdictions, you will only have one registration under the new scheme. The fee for your first renewal under the new scheme will be adjusted according to the registration with the latest expiry date.

Further information

Information will be mailed directly to you in around April 2010, about the transition into the new scheme as it affects you. The NSW Osteopaths Registration Board will also provide you with some information regarding transition to the new scheme with your annual renewal notice.

Regular information updates are provided by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the National Boards on the AHPRA web site which can be accessed at: www.ahpra.gov.au