The introduction of the national registration scheme has included the establishment of three entities which are involved in the registration of psychologists – the Psychology Board of Australia, the Regional Boards of the Psychology Board of Australia, and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA). There has been some confusion for psychologists about the different roles and functions of each of these entities, which are outlined below.
The Psychology Board of Australia’s functions include: registering psychologists and provisional psychologists; developing standards, codes and guidelines for the psychology profession; handling notifications, complaints, investigations and disciplinary hearings; assessing overseas trained practitioners who wish to practise in Australia; and approving accreditation standards and accredited courses of study.
The Psychology Board has established four Regional Boards (State and Territory Boards) to enable a local response to health practitioners and the public in registration and notification matters. The Regional Boards also provide advice to AHPRA staff in relation to health complaints. The four Regional Boards correspond to:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Northern Territory/South Australia/Western Australia
- ACT/ Victoria/Tasmania
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency supports the functions of the Psychology Board and has offices in each State and Territory. AHPRA manages the registration processes for health practitioners and students, and on behalf of the professional Boards, manages investigations into the professional conduct, performance or health of registered health practitioners, except in NSW where this is undertaken by the Health Professional Councils Authority and the Health Care Complaints Commission.
Disclaimer: Published in InPsych on December 2011. The APS aims to ensure that information published in InPsych is current and accurate at the time of publication. Changes after publication may affect the accuracy of this information. Readers are responsible for ascertaining the currency and completeness of information they rely on, which is particularly important for government initiatives, legislation or best-practice principles which are open to amendment. The information provided in InPsych does not replace obtaining appropriate professional and/or legal advice.