May 2025

In this month's issue:

• Medical Board of Australia news
• Accreditation: providing high-quality education and training
• Consultation
  • Review of the National Prescribing Competencies Framework
• News and alerts
  • Practitioners who commit sexual misconduct to be permanently identified
  • Ahpra’s practitioner portal – tips for IMGs
• Contacting the Board

Medical Board of Australia news

Accreditation: providing high-quality education and training

The Board has approved the following:

PGY1 (intern) training accreditation authority

Consultation

Review of the National Prescribing Competencies Framework

Interested in person-centred care for prescribing? Join our consultation about updates to the Prescribing Competencies Framework (the framework), which aims to support appropriate, safe and effective prescribing across all health professions who prescribe.

Ahpra is now consulting on suggested updates to the framework, as part of a review requested by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

The framework aims to create a shared understanding of the person-centred prescribing process and supports:

• the development and review of education and training programs
• the development and review of continuing professional development programs
• individual prescribers’ and students’ self-reflection
• National Boards’ regulatory functions, and
• recognition and understanding of the prescribing role.

The consultation draft aims to make sure the framework is contemporary and reflects current and emerging trends in education and multi-profession practices and supports best health outcomes in a fast-evolving health environment.

The consultation document is published on Ahpra’s website, and includes the proposed changes and the proposed revised framework.

The consultation is open until Friday 30 May 2025.

News and alerts

Practitioners who commit sexual misconduct to be permanently identified

Government-mandated changes to the law increase transparency, boost protections and limit non-disclosure agreements.

Under the changes to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law:

• patients will be able to access the disciplinary record of practitioners proven to have committed sexual misconduct, with extra information published permanently on the practitioner’s public register record
• there will be a new nationally consistent process for practitioners to regain registration after it has been cancelled by a tribunal, or when they have been disqualified from registration
• protections will be boosted for people who make complaints about practitioners, to guard against reprisals, and
• non-disclosure agreements that stop people from making complaints about practitioners to regulators will be banned.

The legislation was passed by the Queensland Parliament as the host jurisdiction for all states and territories, and the changes will take effect on a date in the future determined by governments.

The changes will be implemented progressively over the coming year, allowing stakeholders time to prepare and for state and territory tribunals to establish necessary processes.

An information guide and answers to frequently asked questions about the changes will be published on the Ahpra website.

More detail is in the news item on the Ahpra website.

Ahpra’s practitioner portal – tips for IMGs

We are continuing to publish information and resources to assist IMGs to log in to the new Ahpra portal.

Applying, renewing and changing registration type as an IMG in the new Ahpra portal

IMGs now apply for and renew registration in the Ahpra portal.

Applying for registration for the first time

If you’re applying for registration for the first time (and you’re not registered in another profession) you need to create an account in the Ahpra portal and click the Apply for registration button in your Ahpra portal.

IMG? Provisional or limited registration due for renewal?

You can now renew your provisional or limited registration online in the Ahpra portal.

Simply log in and click Manage my registration on your dashboard.

Follow the prompts, including answering your renewal questions and making your declarations, pay the required fees. We’ll send a confirmation email when your renewal is finalised.

If you need to tell us about a change in your nominated authorised representative you can let us know by sending the details as part of your supporting documents.

IMG? Transitioning to general or specialist registration?

You can apply to transition from provisional or limited registration to general or specialist registration online in the Ahpra portal.

Simply log in and click Manage my registration on your dashboard. In the My Registrations area click Transition to General/Specialist registration.

IMG change of circumstance

The change of circumstance process is still the same – use the PDF form and upload it and supporting information on the Upload documents section of the Ahpra portal. Select Request a Change in Circumstances from the dropdown list in the Upload documents section of the portal.

Download the change of circumstance form – ACCL-30 from the Board’s website.

Employers can upload the form if they are already your nominated representative, if not please upload the document yourself in your Ahpra portal.

IMGs, don’t risk falling off the register of practitioners! You may also need to submit a renewal when you apply for general or specialist registration

To stay registered, you must submit your application for general or specialist registration in time for it to be assessed, before your limited or provisional registration lapses.

Look out for an email from Ahpra that reminds you it’s time to renew. You can check your registration end date on the Register of practitioners.

If Ahpra doesn't have enough time to assess and grant your general or specialist registration before your current registration lapses, then you will need to apply to renew your limited or provisional registration as well as applying for your general and specialist registration.

This means you will need to submit two applications and pay all the relevant fees for both application types. Ahpra can only adjust the fees and give you a pro-rata refund following approval of general or specialist registration.

To avoid any disruption to your registration and paying extra fees, please keep a close eye on your registration end dates and submit any new applications well in advance.

New process for authorised representatives

You can nominate an authorised representative who will need an account in the Ahpra portal. If your authorised representative is a registered health practitioner, they will already have an account, if not, they will need to create one.

There are instructions for authorised representatives to create an account in the Ahpra portal help centre.

What can authorised representatives see in the Ahpra portal?

If the authorised representative is a practitioner, they can see their own account or switch to see the IMGs they are nominated representatives for.

Authorised representatives can complete assigned tasks, make enquiries and upload relevant documents.

Online Q&A forums for employers, recruiters and other people who help IMGs get registered

Ahpra continues to hold Q&A forums for employers, recruiters and other people who help IMGs get registered and are progressively publishing information on the Ahpra website.

New resources and updated webpages

When you log in to the Ahpra portal, you’ll need to sign up using multifactor authentication using the Google Authenticator app. The app is free to download.

Watch our videos to help you through the process. Go to the Ahpra portal help centre for more tips.

We’ve also recently updated the Medical Board’s IMG pathways webpages. There’s a page for each pathway (Specialist pathways, Competent Authority pathway and Standard pathway) with information on the requirements and how to apply.

Contacting the Board

The Medical Board of Australia and Ahpra can be contacted by phone on 1300 419 495.

For more information, see the Medical Board of Australia website and the Ahpra website.

Lodge an enquiry form through the website under Contact us at the bottom of every web page. 

Mail correspondence can be addressed to: Dr Susan O'Dwyer, Chair, Medical Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne, VIC 3001.

More information

Please note: Practitioners are responsible for keeping up to date with the Board’s expectations about their professional obligations. The Board publishes standards, codes and guidelines as well as alerts in its newsletter. If you unsubscribe from this newsletter you are still required to keep up to date with information published on the Board’s website.

Comments on the Board newsletter are welcome, send your feedback and suggestions to newsletters@ahpra.gov.au.

For registration enquiries or contact detail changes, call the Ahpra customer service team on 1300 419 495 (from within Australia).