Board and AHPRA publish health profession agreement

26 Oct 2016

The Optometry Board of Australia (the Board) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) have published the health profession agreement (HPA) for 2016-20.

The HPA sets out the partnership between the Board and AHPRA, and the services AHPRA will provide in supporting the Board to carry out its functions.

The Board and AHPRA work together to implement the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (National Scheme), which is the scheme regulating registered health practitioners in Australia, in the public interest.

AHPRA CEO, Martin Fletcher, said that the National Boards and AHPRA are committed to working together to ensure not only transparency and accountability in financial reporting, but also in the role both play in protecting the public through the regulation of the professions under the National Law¹.

‘The guiding principles of the National Law require the National Scheme to operate in a ‘transparent, accountable, efficient, effective and fair way’. So it’s important that the professions and the community know how AHPRA and the Boards work in partnership to regulate the professions in the public interest and facilitate access to safer healthcare,’ Mr Fletcher said.

Optometry Board Chair, Mr Ian Bluntish, said, ‘By publishing the HPA, it demonstrates the Board’s and AHPRA’s commitment to transparency and accountability in implementing the National Scheme.’

The 2016-20 Optometry Board of Australia and AHPRA Health Profession Agreement is available on the Health Profession Agreements page.

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 - Board and AHPRA publish health profession agreement (102 KB,PDF)

¹Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory.