Media release

15 Oct 2013

The Board and AHPRA publish their 2013/14 health profession agreement.

Board and AHPRA publish health profession agreement

The Optometry Board of Australia (the Board) and AHPRA today published the health profession agreement that outlines the services that AHPRA will provide to the Board in 2013/14.

Under the National Law, the Board and AHPRA work in partnership to implement the National Scheme, each with specific roles, powers and responsibilities set down in the National Law¹.

‘Publishing the agreement demonstrates our commitment to transparency and accountability in implementing the National Scheme,’ Optometry Board Chair Colin Waldron said.

The guiding principles of the National Law require the National Scheme to operate in a ‘transparent, accountable, efficient, effective and fair way’; and for registration fees to be reasonable ‘having regard to the efficient and effective operation of the scheme’.

Mr Waldron said the Board was accountable to the profession and the community.

‘We are responsible for using practitioners’ registration fees wisely in regulating the profession in the public interest,’ he said.

‘The Board is pleased to provide more detailed information about how registration fees are allocated to regulate the profession in Australia.’

AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher said the Board and AHPRA were committed to increasing transparency and accountability in financial reporting.

‘As AHPRA’s reporting capability strengthens, we are publishing more detailed information about each National Board’s financial operations and AHPRA’s performance. This complements the audited data and performance reporting included in each year’s annual report,’ Mr Fletcher said.

The 2013/14 Optometry Board of Australia and AHPRA Health Profession Agreement is available for review on the Optometry Board website.

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry form 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 8708 9001 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media release - Optometry Board and AHPRA publish health profession agreement - 15 October 2013 (96.0 KB,PDF)

¹ The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (the National Law).