A new group called Phoropter Free Fridays (PFF) – motivated by concerns about burnout, workloads, and clinical standards – wants to unionise optometry through the Health Services Union (HSU).
The movement was formed in late 2024 by employee optometrists and independent owners advocating for fair working conditions, professional autonomy, and patient-centred care.
“The next step is to unionise – to build strength in numbers,” the group said.
“We don’t need a majority of optometrists in Australia – though that is the long-term goal. Even a modest number of unionised employees across different businesses allows us to enact meaningful, localised change that can ripple outward.”
PFF cites two key optometry surveys in recent years to highlight the “systemic barriers” the profession faces.
The first was from Professor Sharon Bentley at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in 2021, which found more than 30% of optometrists reported moderate to severe psychological distress.
Then earlier in 2025, a Flinders University survey led by Professor Nicola Anstice and the Phoropter Free Fridays administrators, found only 23% of optometrists surveyed were satisfied with career growth, and 25% with their income. Many also reported receiving little to no feedback outside of retail-driven KPIs, with 41% reporting dissatisfaction with their level of clinical scope and autonomy – the impetus behind the name ‘Phoropter Free Fridays’
More than a third felt professionally isolated, and the majority were allocated zero minutes per week for administrative tasks.
“PFF is run by its members, using their own time and resources. It exists to amplify these voices, call out institutional complacency, and push for systemic change, so optometry can centre on ethics, clinical excellence, and sustainable careers,” the group said.
PFF believes it can instigate the most change through the HSU, which exists to solely represent employees in industrial matters. In contrast, association bodies like Optometry Australia advocate for the profession as a whole – encompassing both employers and employees – and intrinsically are not structured to negotiate collective pay and workplace conditions, the organisation said.
“The HSU is a national union that represents health and community services workers, including optometrists,” PFF said.
“Unlike professional associations, the HSU exists solely to support employees in achieving fair, safe, and sustainable working conditions.”
With the HSU, PFF is “mobilising around our Charter for Change”, which prioritises scheduled and regular breaks during shifts, higher pay rates for Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, and overtime.
It is also seeking mandated, protected time for patient care and a stronger emphasis on clinical autonomy, alongside compensation for training the next generation of optometrists, and increased transparency and foresight in employee contracts.
By joining the HSU, optometrists could gain collective bargaining power to improve pay, consult times (particularly dedicated to patient health outcomes), and workplace conditions, legal support, and award protection – ensuring minimum entitlements under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020.
This includes a paid 10-minute break every four hours, 50–75% penalty rates on Saturdays and Sundays, and overtime rates up to 200%.
The union also provides professional indemnity insurance (up to $20 million retroactive cover) for all states and territories. In addition, it includes public liability insurance – which PFF said is not often included in standard professional memberships that offers cover for locum work in all states and territories except WA.
“The HSU is not aligned with employer interests. It represents optometrists as employees, offering the support and protections many feel are missing elsewhere,” PFF said.
Organisers said the group had already taken steps to spotlight systemic issues and advocate for structural reform across the profession, including involvement in the Flinders national workforce survey.
It has launched focus group research into how consult times, practice modality, and KPIs affect clinical care outcomes, and submitted to the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation shortage review.
It has held discussions with stakeholders opposing a new optometry school in Queensland.
And it has several ongoing projects, including a large-scale clinical audit of optometry referral data to gather definitive evidence on whether shorter consult times are compromising patient outcomes.
“Most importantly, we’re maintaining a safe, collective space for optometrists to speak out, share experiences, and push for change,” PFF said.
More reading
Psychological strains of optometry – Prof Sharon Bentley
Key findings from new Optometry Australia-backed workforce projections report
