Optometry Board of Australia fees set for 2016/17

01 Sep 2016

The Optometry Board of Australia (the Board) has announced that the national registration fee for optometrists for 2016/17 has been reduced.

The Board has reduced the registration fee to $300, which is $25 less than in the previous year. The annual renewal fee will apply from 1 September 2016 and cover the registration period for most practitioners of 1 December 2016 to 30 November 2017.

The fee for practitioners whose principal place of practice is NSW is also $300.¹

A fee schedule, including the fee arrangements for practitioners whose principal place of practice is NSW, will be published on the Board’s website.

The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) is funded by practitioners’ registration fees. The decision to reduce the fee ensures practitioners are not unduly burdened, but still provides sufficient income to allow the Board to meet its obligations in protecting the public.

Board Chair, Mr Ian Bluntish, said that the Board was pleased to be able to lower the fee for the fourth year in a row and still fulfil its regulatory obligations.

‘The Board’s continuous regulatory policy work and engagement with the profession ensures its focus of protecting the public through effective regulation of optometrists,’ Mr Bluntish said.

The Board will also shortly publish the Health Profession Agreement (HPA). The HPA 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.

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry form
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers)
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media release - Optometry Board of Australia fees set for 2016-17 - 1 September 2016 (104 KB,PDF)

¹NSW is a co-regulatory jurisdiction.