Audit

Registration

About audit

Ahpra and the National Boards have developed a nationally consistent approach to auditing health practitioners’ compliance with mandatory registration standards. Audits are an important part of the way National Boards and Ahpra can better protect the public. They help to ensure that practitioners are meeting the mandatory registration standards and provide important assurance to the community and the Boards.

How will I know if I am being audited?

Audits of random samples of practitioners from all professions will occur periodically throughout the year.

If you are selected for audit, you will receive an audit notice in the mail from Ahpra. It includes a checklist that outlines what supporting documentation is required to demonstrate that you meet the standard(s) being audited.

What is being audited?

Each time you apply to renew your registration, you make a declaration that you have (or have not) met the registration standards for your profession. The audit requires that you provide further information to support your declarations.

Your audit notice letter will identify which standard/standards are being audited. One or more of the following four mandatory registration standards may be audited.

What is being audited	What it means for you
Criminal History Registration Standard (327 KB,PDF)	Ahpra uses an independent service provider to check your domestic criminal history, which will happen automatically at no cost to you. You do not have to do anything further unless you are asked to provide more information.
Continuing Professional Development Registration Standard (443 KB,PDF)	You must provide evidence of the CPD activities you have undertaken to meet the requirements of the Board’s standard.
Recency of Practice Registration Standard (353 KB,PDF)	You must provide evidence of recency of practice activities you have undertaken which meet the requirements of the Board’s standard.
Professional Indemnity Insurance Registration Standard (329 KB,PDF)	You must provide evidence of PII arrangements which meet the requirements of the Board’s PII registration standard.

Declarations, your registration and the National Law

Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory, Ahpra can request (on behalf of a board) you to provide evidence, within 28 days, that you meet the standards, as declared in your previous annual statement.

Your annual statement is made when you apply to renew your registration. It is supported by a declaration confirming that it is ‘true and correct’.

The annual statement also includes (among other things) statements about whether:

you have met the recency of practice requirements stated in the Board’s registration standard
you met the Board’s continuing professional development (CPD) requirements as set out in the Board’s CPD registration standard during the previous registration period
you practised in accordance with the requirements of the Board’s Professional indemnity insurance (PII) arrangements registration standard, and whether you commit to practise in accordance with that registration standard if your registration is renewed, and
there was any change in your criminal history during the previous registration period and whether you have any other criminal history that has not been disclosed to Ahpra.

Templates and resources to help prepare for Audit

Document name	Accessible format
CPD Guidelines FAQ	Web page
Template - CPD portfolio	Web page
Template - Standard format for a CV	Web page
Recency of Practice FAQ	Web page
Template - Recency of practice - statement of service from employer	Word (26.4 KB,DOCX)

Templates and resources

Below is a sample of templates to help you fulfil the requirements of the audit. You can print and complete these then submit them as part of your audit response.

CPD portfolio template (271 KB,PDF), Word version (110 KB,DOC)
Employer - Template letter for PII confirmation (26.3 KB,DOCX)

Additional information

The Continuing professional development page provides more information about CPD for optometrists.

If you need more information about audit, please email the audit team at registration9@ahpra.gov.au, or call the customer service line Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on 1300 419 495.