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This year there has been extensive work behind the scenes with Ahpra to launch a new online practitioner portal and new digital smart forms for application and renewal of registration. Mid-year graduates will be the first group of osteopaths to use the transformed systems when they apply for registration before starting work.
We are also pleased to announce that a 30 per cent rebate on annual renewal fees for osteopaths who take parental, disability or carer’s leave is now in effect.
The Board is looking forward to meeting osteopaths at our registrant forums in Perth and Canberra over the coming months. We’ll discuss our registration requirements and notification processes, plus ongoing projects and consultations. See details in this issue.
Associate Professor Paul Orrock Chair, Osteopathy Board of Australia
A 30 per cent rebate on annual renewal fees is now available for health practitioners who take parental leave and other forms of protected leave, while a wider review of fee policies continues.
This action aims to provide financial relief for practitioners taking parental leave and other forms of protected leave such as disability and carer’s leave.
It is one step in a range of measures Ahpra and the National Boards introducing to make the registration fees more equitable, flexible and responsive.
The rebate applies to practitioners who take leave for at least six continuous months on the grounds of a protected attribute. A practitioner can claim the rebate at the next renewal after the six-month period of leave ends. Practitioners cannot apply for this rebate before the six-month period has started, or before it ends.
A wider review is currently looking at how a pro rata approach to fees can be implemented. It is expected to report by November 2025 with recommendations aimed at coming into effect by 1 July 2026.
Visit the Fee relief for parental leave and other types of leave webpage for more information and to read the full policy.
The Board’s consultation on the review of the Guidelines on clinical records has finished.
After considering the feedback from stakeholders in the preliminary and public consultation stages, the Board has decided to retire the guidelines with effect from 1 December 2025. We will provide more detail in the coming months about the consultation itself and the phasing out of the guidelines.
The guidelines were published in 2012 and there is now more contemporary regulatory guidance available, including the shared Code of conduct and the joint National Board record keeping tools.
Thank you to all who took the time to respond to the consultations.
The Board invites all osteopaths registered in Western Australia to an evening forum in Perth starting at 5pm on Thursday 28 August 2025.
The forum is a great opportunity for you to hear directly from the Board about recent and upcoming consultations, changes to requirements, additional resources, and a chance to meet local senior Ahpra staff.
If you would like to attend this function, please RSVP before 10 August 2025.
The Board will also host a forum in Canberra in November. We look forward to seeing you there.
Osteopathy Board of Australia members Kate Locke, Marcella Lazarus, Robyn Davis, Paul Orrock, Zoe Wood, Tim McNamara, Casey Beaumont, Rebecca Malon.
In May, the Board attended the National Scheme Combined Meeting and met with representatives from our regulatory stakeholders, including the Australian Osteopathic Accreditation Council, Osteopathic Council of New Zealand and Osteopathic Council of NSW, to discuss current and future issues in regulation.
The National Scheme Combined Meeting is a two-day event that brings Ahpra staff, board and committee members and external stakeholders together to collaborate, listen and learn about the latest innovations and issues in health regulation. Over 400 people attended this year's event.
The theme this year was ‘Regulatory Leadership: public value in a changing world’. Ahpra hosted speakers from across the globe to share insights on topics including emerging regulation approaches, anti-racism, the impacts and influences of technology on the workforce, regulatory kindness, and public and community perspectives.
This annual meeting is an important opportunity for us to hear other perspectives and share information. It also enables us to cement relationships and foster friendships.
Paul Orrock and Matiu Taingahue, Chairs of the Osteopathy Board of Australia and Osteopathic Council of New Zealand at the National Scheme Combined Meeting.
It’s time to register with the Osteopathy Board to be able to practise after graduation.
All the resources and information for graduate registration are available on the Ahpra website, including how to create an account in the Ahpra portal.
If you’re applying for registration for the first time (and you’re not registered in another profession) you need to create an account in the Ahpra portal and click the Apply for registration button in your Ahpra portal.
You may need to provide supporting documents with your application to prove that you meet the Osteopathy Board’s registration standards, including meeting the English language skills requirements. Make sure you provide all the documents we need with your application so we can assess it quicker.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement and Support team (the support team) is also available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates who might need help with or have questions about their application for registration.
The support team is committed to helping graduates get registered promptly so you can provide safe healthcare in your communities.
If you would like help with your application for registration, email the support team at [email protected].
The Board’s quarterly registration data to 31 March 2025 has been released. There were 3,634 registered osteopaths nationally at this date: 3,435 with general registration and 194 with non-practising registration.
For further data breakdowns by age, gender and principal place of practice, visit the Board’s Statistics page to read the report.
New resources are now available to help practitioners understand and adapt to changes to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, which will come into effect over the next 12 months.
Information on the changes, how they will be implemented and what they mean for practitioners and the public is available in the full information guide, while the two-page short guide provides a high level snapshot of the changes.
Both guides are available on the National Law amendments page on the Ahpra website which includes links to related topics and will be updated as our implementation activities progress.
The changes to the National Law were passed earlier this year, focusing on:
Ahpra welcomed the release of the Independent review of complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (Dawson review) second consultation paper and thanked the reviewer Ms Sue Dawson and her team for their comprehensive work.
Ahpra supports in principle the review’s recommendations, many of which are in lockstep with Ahpra’s current reform agenda.
The reforms centre around:
Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said the review presents an exciting opportunity for the next chapter in regulation.
‘The National Scheme is facing challenges it has not previously encountered,’ he said.
‘The time is right to take the National Scheme forward to meet the evolving needs of contemporary regulation. I look forward to working with stakeholders to bring the recommendations of the review to life.’
Read the full media release.
Receipts or tax invoices for payments made in the 2024-25 financial year will be emailed to you directly – they won’t be available in the Ahpra portal.
You’ll receive your receipt or tax invoice shortly after your payment via email.
We’ll email your receipt or tax invoice from mid-June 2025. Be sure to check both your inbox and spam/junk folder.
If you haven’t received it by mid-July, please submit an online enquiry, and let us know you need a receipt or tax invoice for the 2024–25 financial year.
For payments made before July 2024, please submit an online enquiry and specify which financial year(s) you need. We’ll email the relevant documents once we receive your request.
Ahpra and the National Scheme have announced their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy, informed by extensive consultation and the expertise of Professor Yin Paradies, a leading scholar in racism and cultural safety.
This policy has been developed by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to create a safe, valued, and respectful environment within Ahpra and the National Boards.
It forms a critical step in enacting Ahpra and the National Scheme’s policy and legislative commitments to eliminating racism.
Racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is persistent, harmful, and structurally embedded. This policy acknowledges those realities and provides clear mechanisms for preventing, addressing, and eliminating racism within Ahpra, the National Boards and committees. It establishes stronger reporting pathways and introduces the Racism-related Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-only Special Issues Committee (RATSISIC) to ensure culturally informed responses to racism.
The policy reflects the hard work and leadership of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy Working Group, chaired by Professor Carmen Parter, whose contributions were vital to its development.
Download a copy of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy. You'll find this under 'Ahpra, Ahpra Board and National Boards information', click on the Ahpra tab.
When treating a practitioner who has a health, mental health, or drug or alcohol issue, you only need to notify Ahpra if you think their health, performance or conduct may be putting the public at substantial risk of harm.
While mandatory notifications are an important part of our regulatory process to keep patients and the public safe, they are not necessary in most cases.
There are four concerns that may trigger a mandatory notification. Depending on the type of concern, you must assess the risk of harm to the public when deciding whether to make a mandatory notification. The four concerns are:
When it comes to impairment, as long as the practitioner you’re treating won’t pose a substantial risk to the public, is managing their condition, and getting the help they need to practise safely, then you don’t need to make a notification to Ahpra.
Seeking help when they need it is the best thing that a practitioner can do, and you can play an important role in supporting them to continue to practise safely and ensure their patients continue to receive safe care.
Find out more about making a mandatory notification.
