Agency

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

VA 4880
2010 - present

Agency names

Officially known as: Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
The Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) was constituted under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, which came into operation on 1 July 2010. The purpose of this Act was to provide for the adoption of a national law to establish a national registration and accreditation scheme for health practitioners. The Act prescribed the establishment of 14 new National Boards, 10 of which commenced on 1 July 2010. The National Boards can establish a State or Territory Board, with members to be appointed by the responsible Minister for the participating jurisdiction.

The functions of the National Agency are as follows -

- To provide administrative assistance to the National Boards, and the Board's committees, in exercising their functions.

- In consultation with the National Boards, to develop and administer procedures for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the National Boards.

- To establish procedures for the development of accreditation standards, registration standards and codes and guidelines approved by National Boards, for the purpose of ensuring the national registration and accreditation scheme operates in accordance with good regulatory practice.

- To negotiate in good faith with, and attempt to come to agreement with, each national board, on the terms of a health profession agreement.

- To establish and administer procedures for receiving and dealing with applications for registration and other matters relating to registration.

- In conjunction with National Boards, to keep up-to-date and publicly accessible national registers of registered health practitioners and students for each health profession.

- To keep an up-to-date and publicly accessible list of approved programs of study for each health profession.

- To establish an efficient procedure for receiving and dealing with notifications against persons who are or were registered health practitioners and persons who are students.


Legislation requires that AHPRA enter into a 'health profession agreement' with a National Boards that make provisions for the following -

- The fees that will be payable under this law (including arrangements in relation to refunds of fees, waivers of fees and additional fees for late payment).

- The annual budget of the National Board.

- The services to be provided to the National Board by the National Agency to enable the Board to carry out its functions.
Jurisdiction: Victoria