Optometry registration fees reduced again

For the 2016–17 registration period, the fee will be $300, a $25 decrease on the previous year.The renewal fee came into effect on 1 Septber 2016 and covers the registration period for most practitioners of 1 Decber 2016 to 30 Novber 2017. The fee for practitioners whose principal place of practice is NSW is also $300.An OBA statent said the decision to reduce the fee would ensure practitioners were not “unduly burdened” while still providing sufficient income to allow the Board to meet its obligations in protecting the public.Optometrist registration fees have continually decreased since 2012, when the fee was set at $415. In 2013, the fee was reduced to $395, in 2014 to $365, and last year it dropped to $325.OBA chair Mr Ian Bluntish said the Board was pleased to be able to lower the fee for the fourth year in a row.“The Board’s continuous regulatory policy work and engagent with the profession ensures its focus of protecting the public through effective regulation of optometrists,” he said.The OBA added that it would soon publish the Health Profession Agreent, which provides information about the Board’s financial operations, outlines the partnership between the Board and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and the services AHPRA will provide to the Board to regulate the profession.