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The Board continues to collaborate closely with our stakeholders on our strategic priorities. A major focus is workforce planning, with the Board exploring how we can contribute to solutions and enable Australians to access the health services they need. We are working with Ahpra, other National Boards and the Australian Physiotherapy Council to develop a range of possible approaches to boost our workforce.
Next month, on 8 September, is World Physiotherapy Day – an important time to acknowledge and celebrate the work of physiotherapists in keeping the public safe. We extend our thanks to every physio working in Australia for the role they play in creating safer, healthier communities.
To stay connected with the profession’s latest updates and familiar with important documents like the Code of conduct, we encourage you to visit the Board's website. You can also read our regular articles in the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s InMotion magazine.
Dr Paula Harding Chair, Physiotherapy Board of Australia
When it comes time to renew, things will look different this year. Ahpra has a new online portal with multifactor authentication (MFA) to manage all aspects of your registration.
Multifactor authentication is an extra layer of security used to protect your data.
Before you renew, you will need to link an authenticator app to your portal. This app generates a one-time 6-digit code and is more secure than sending the code by SMS. Every time you log in, you’ll enter:
If you already know your username and password, you can log in now and link MFA. If you’re not sure what your username is, you can wait. We send an email with your username before you need to renew. If you share your email account with someone else, such as your partner, or use a group email such as ‘[email protected]’ then you will need to change it to an email that is unique to you when you first log in. There’s information available on the Ahpra portal help centre on how to do this.
Here is where you can find more help about logging in to your portal and linking MFA:
If you get stuck, try the troubleshooting tips, or use the portal help centre chatbot. You can also contact Ahpra’s Customer Service team.
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.
Of the physiotherapy workforce, 330 practitioners identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (0.7 per cent).
For more data, including registration by principal place of practice, age and gender, read the report on our Statistics page.
In May, the Board finished its preliminary consultation on its proposal to endorse registered physiotherapists who meet a proposed registration standard, ‘Endorsement for scheduled medicines for physiotherapists’, as being qualified to prescribe medicines under Section 94 of the National Law.
Feedback from preliminary consultation is being reviewed in preparation for public consultation. Keep an eye on the Board’s website for updates about public consultation.
The Australian Physiotherapy Council (the Council) is continuing its comprehensive review of the standards used to accredit entry-level physiotherapy programs. The Council is also developing postgraduate prescribing standards, which will be considered with the Board’s prescribing proposal.
Accreditation is an important part of the National Scheme. Regular reviews of accreditation standards ensure that standards for graduates are current, effective and promote safe physiotherapy practice in Australia.
In May, two members of the Physiotherapy Board, Professor Sheila Lennon and Professor Wayne Hing, attended the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025 in Tokyo.
The congress takes place every two years and is an opportunity to hear about the latest developments in physiotherapy practice and regulation on a global scale.
The Board was invited to join an international hour-long discussion panel to debate the pros and cons of working abroad and post-registration education – two key issues in workforce mobility for the physiotherapy profession. On behalf of the Board, Sheila participated in the panel on the wider impact of professional mobility on research, policy and practice.
The event provided valuable global regulatory insights on topics relevant to the Board’s strategic priorities, including cultural safety and workforce development.
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.
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.
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.
