The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) is seeking feedback on proposed changes to recency of practice (ROP) and continuing professional development (CPD) registration standards.
Fourteen National Boards – including the Optometry Board but excluding the Medical Board of Australia – are taking part in this review, which seeks to ensure that standards align across healthcare professions.
Health practitioners must meet recency of practice and CPD standards to renew their registration. The revised standards propose that practitioners must complete: 150 hours of practice in the past year or 450 hours of practice in the past three years, 20 hours of CPD every year, including five hours of interactive CPD, 10 extra hours of CPD for practitioners with additional technical or profession-specific skills, such as a scheduled medicines endorsement, and CPD that helps improve patient outcomes and draws on available evidence.
The biggest direct change for optometrists is likely the proposed removal of mandatory cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)/first aid/anaphylaxis training.
The Optometry Board is specifically seeking feedback about the proposed approach to remove mandatory first aid/CPR training requirements from the CPD standard
Current CPD registration standards for chiropractors, optometrists, osteopaths, and podiatrists require completion of these first aid requirements; healthcare professions covered by other National Boards do not.
The Optometry Board is specifically seeking feedback about the proposed approach to remove mandatory first aid/CPR training requirements from the CPD standard, in alignment with other professions.
The Ahpra consultation paper is available at ahpra.gov.au/News/Consultations.aspx. Submissions are being sought with a closing date of 17 July 2026.
