2022/23 annual summary

Optometry in 2023/24

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2023/24 annual report Download the
Board's data tables

Registration

7,051 optometrists
- Up 4.3% from 2022/23
- 0.8% of all registered health practitioners
422 first-time registrants
- 376 domestic (including new graduates)
- 46 international
0.2% identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Gender

Female	Male
59.4%	40.6%

59.4% Female
40.6% Male

Age

<256.1%
25-3436.9%
35-4420.6%
45-5416.9%
55-6413.5%
65-745.6%
75+0.5%

Regulation

38 notifications lodged with Ahpra about 33 optometrists
75 notifications about 69 optometrists made Australia-wide, including HPCA and OHO data
- 1.0% of the profession Australia-wide

Sources of notifications

81.6% Patient, relative or member of the public
7.9% Board initiated
2.6% Other practitioner
2.6% Employer
2.6% Police, government or co-regulator
2.6% Other

Most common types of complaints

50.0% Clinical care
13.2% Communication
5.3% Behaviour
5.3% Documentation
5.3% Offence against other law
21.1% Other

Notifications closed

34 notifications closed

17.6% Conditions imposed on registration
38.2% Referred to another body or retained by a health complaints organisation
44.1% No further regulatory action (including where practitioner has taken steps to address)

No immediate actions taken
2 mandatory notifications received
- 1 about impairment
- 1 about alcohol or drugs
6 practitioners monitored for health, performance and/or conduct
7 criminal offence complaints made
No notifications decided by a tribunal
No matters decided by a panel
No appeals lodged

Stakeholder engagement

In August, the Optometry Board of Australia hosted its annual meeting of the Optometry Regulatory Reference Group in Melbourne.

Attendees included stakeholders in the optometry profession and the meeting’s focus was on cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Representatives of the Board attended the Indigenous Allied Health Australia National Conference in November and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference in May, gaining further understanding of culturally safe eye care, which will inform future policies.

The Board welcomed the Chair of the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board of New Zealand to its meeting in Melbourne in September.

This was a great opportunity to strengthen trans-Tasman relationships.

Policy updates

Along with the other National Boards and Ahpra, the Board consulted on further changes to the Registration standard: English language skills, Registration standard: Recency of practice, Registration standard: Criminal history and the limited registration standards.

Accreditation

In January, the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand’s (OCANZ) revised standards for the accreditation of Board-approved programs of study in ocular therapeutics came into effect.
These standards include greater emphasis on the integration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety into ocular therapeutics programs.

Along with Ahpra and the other National Boards, the Board completed a scheduled review of National Scheme accreditation arrangements.

The Board decided to continue its assignment of accreditation functions to OCANZ for the next five years.

Other news

The Board welcomed the health ministers’ appointment of Mr Terence Wong as the new practitioner member for New South Wales in March.

In November, the Board was pleased to welcome new community member appointees to its Registration and Notifications Committee (RNC) and its Policy and Education Committee (PEC).
It also welcomed a new practitioner member appointee to its PEC.

Mr Stuart Aamodt was the Presiding Member of the Board until March, a position that was in place until the health ministers appointed a new Chair. On 19 March, Mr Aamodt was appointed as the Board’s Chair.

Mr Stuart Aamodt, Chair

Download the
2023/24 annual report See the complete set of
data tables Download the
report appendices

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