Australian optometrists face a registration fee hike in 2022/23 – for the fourth consecutive year – as the Optometry Board of Australia (OBA) encourages graduates finishing their course in the next three months to begin the registration process.
The OBA and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) announced on 21 September the annual registration fees for optometrists for 2022/23 will be $337. This represents a 3% increase on the 2021/22 fee ($327), which the regulator says is “an increase limited to indexation”.
This will cover the registration period from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.
The fee for optometrists whose principal place of practice is New South Wales, calculated by a separate body called the Health Professional Councils Authority, will remain at $323.
Up until 2019, Australian optometrists enjoyed a consistent fee of $300, which was first imposed in 2016-17 and frozen for two years. Prior to that, the sector saw consecutive price drops from a high of $415 in 2012-13.
OBA chair Mrs Judith Hannan says said the board, which operated on a cost-recovery model, was committed to keeping fees as low as possible.
“The board strives to keep fees low while ensuring they are set at a rate that allows us to realise our vision and mission of keeping the public safe and retaining the community’s confidence and trust in optometrists,” she said.
New cost allocation model
In 2022/23, Ahpra and National Boards have introduced a new model for allocating costs for each board that considers the complexity, volume, and time to manage the regulatory activity for each profession, together with the costs of shared services across the professions.
According to the regulator, the new model reflects access to more detailed data and is designed to ensure costs for regulating each profession are appropriately recovered, target equity levels are maintained, and the risk of cross-subsidisation minimised.
The new cost allocation model will also have an impact on the costs allocated to NSW practitioners for the registration and accreditation component of their registration fees.
More information on the NSW component is available at New cost allocation model and NSW fees can be found here.
Practitioner registration fees fund the work of Ahpra and the National Boards to keep the public safe by:
- Supporting national registration to ensure only qualified, safe, and professional health practitioners can practise in Australia
- Developing evidence-based and practice-tested standards, codes, and guidelines
- Accrediting programs of study that lead to registration and endorsement, and
- Investigating concerns raised about registered health practitioners.
- The National Boards work closely with Ahpra to keep fees as low as possible while continuing to meet regulatory obligations and the expectations of the public and practitioners.
Graduating soon?
Meanwhile, the OBA has urged graduates set to complete their course in the next three months to take the first step in their new health career by applying for registration now.
“Applying before you finish study means we can start assessing your application while we wait for your graduate results,” the OBA stated.
“Registration with the Optometry Board of Australia is required before you can start working as an optometrist – and means you can work anywhere in Australia.”
The process includes:
- Create an account using the online services portal and complete the application.
- Upload documents and pay the required fees. Check all required documentation has been provided to prove registration standards have been met, including certified copies of photo ID.
- Wait for the education provider to provide the graduate results to Ahpra.
“Once we’ve received your graduate results from your education provider and we are satisfied that you have met all the requirements for registration, we will finalise your application,” the OBA said.
“When you are registered, we will publish your name on the register of practitioners, and you can start working as an optometrist.
“A common cause of delay is when the name you use on your application for registration does not match the name your education provider uses for your graduate results, or your name on your identification documents (such as licence or passport). Make sure your names match, otherwise it will cause delay.”
OBA and Ahpra has produced a video for graduates applying for registration that can be accessed here.
NSW and Queensland complaints administration
In NSW, complaints (notifications) about the conduct, health or performance of NSW practitioners are managed by the Health Care Complaints Commission, the Health Professional Councils Authority (HPCA) and the state-based councils for each health profession.
Ahpra’s primary role, in relation to notifications in NSW is to update the national register if changes are made to a practitioner’s registration. As such, costs for notifications managed in NSW by the state-based councils and the HPCA are calculated by the HPCA.
In Queensland, all notifications and concerns are directed to the Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO), which shares this information with Ahpra and the National Boards.
Each notification or concern raised is reviewed by the OHO and Ahpra at the same time and a joint decision is made on which organisation will manage the matter.
The Queensland Health Minister determines the contribution of practitioners’ fees to be paid to the OHO. This contribution recognises the OHO management of issues related to the health, performance or conduct of Queensland practitioners, and reflects the reasonable costs of what Ahpra and the National Boards would have done if the OHO didn’t exist.
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