APS Submission to the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) 2027 Update Consultation

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) provided a submission to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ consultation on the 2027 update of the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA).

Two key issues were highlighted in this submission:

1. Incomplete specialisations for Psychologists. The current OSCA entry lists only six of the nine Areas of Practice Endorsement (AoPEs) recognised by the Psychology Board of Australia. The APS pointed out that both Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Community Psychologist are omitted, despite more than 100 psychologists holding a sport‑and‑exercise endorsement and over 50 with a community endorsement. Excluding these AoPEs as specialists misrepresents the regulated structure of our profession, undermines workforce planning, and skews skilled‑migration data. The APS reiterates its previous recommendations that OSCA be revised to include all nine AoPEs, and notes that reliance on Census counts is inappropriate for smaller AoPEs.
    
2. Inaccurate description of Psychotherapist. The occupation description currently states that psychotherapists “conduct assessments and diagnose mental and emotional disorders.” The APS stresses that diagnosis is a regulated activity which falls within the scope of practice for psychologists. Psychotherapists are not a regulated title in Australia and there is no national standard guaranteeing competence in assessment or diagnosis. The APS therefore recommends the removal of this language and suggests the description be limited to the provision of psychotherapeutic interventions.

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