National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS)

The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) for health practitioners commenced on 1 July 2010. The NRAS has been established by state and territory governments through the introduction of consistent legislation in all jurisdictions. The NRAS is not a Commonwealth Scheme.

The aims of NRAS include:

protecting the public by ensuring that only suitably trained and qualified practitioners are registered;
facilitating workforce mobility across Australia; and
enabling the continuous development of a flexible, responsive and sustainable Australian health workforce.

Professions currently regulated under the NRAS are:

chiropractic
dental practice
medicine
nursing and midwifery
optometry
osteopathy
pharmacy
physiotherapy
podiatry
psychology

As of 1 July 2012 the following professions will be included, they are:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practice
Chinese medicine
medical radiation practice
occupational therapy

Each profession has a National Board which regulates the profession, registers practitioners and develops standards, codes and guidelines for the profession. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) administers NRAS and provides administrative support to the National Boards.

Further information:
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and National Boards (external) website.

Current NRAS Topics

New Professions to be registered under NRAS

AHPRA is currently processing registrations for practitioners for the new professions of the NRAS, these professions are:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practice
Chinese medicine
medical radiation practice
occupational therapy

Practitioners in these professions must be registered with their National Board, meet nationally consistent professional standards and be qualified to practise throughout Australia. AHPRA is encouraging practitioners in those four professions to go to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) (external) website to find out the new legal requirements for registration in the National Scheme.

Media release published by AHPRA 30 March 2012.
Four more health professions regulated nationally from 1 July 2012 (external)

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board has provided a information sheet.
National registration is here: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner

Unregistered Professions

National registration is currently confined to those health professions which were already regulated or partially regulated prior to 1 July 2010. However, concerns have been raised about the risks associated with the provision of health care services by unregistered or unqualified practitioners. A consultation process was undertaken in 2011, which sought stakeholders’ views on the need for strengthened regulatory protection for consumers. The consultation paper is available at the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) (external) website.

Further information will be posted on this website when it becomes available.

Recency of Practice

National Boards are responsible for regulating the practice of each profession by registering practitioners and developing professional practice standards. Specific registration standards for each profession fall under the responsibility of the respective boards. Details of each board’s standards, including recency of practice, can be found on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) (external) website. Concerns or questions about standards should be directed to the relevant board.

English Language Standards

National Boards are responsible for regulating the practice of each profession by registering practitioners and developing professional practice standards. Specific registration standards for each profession fall under the responsibility of the respective boards. Details of each board's standards including the English language skills registration standard can be found on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) (external) website. Concerns or questions about standards should be directed to the relevant board.

Complaints about practitioners

Members of the public are able to complain about a health practitioner or student’s health, conduct or performance under the NRAS. Under the National Law, these complaints are called notifications and are received by AHPRA on behalf of the relevant Board. Practitioners, employers and education providers are all mandated by law to report notifiable conduct relating to a registered practitioner or student. Notifiable conduct is limited to situations:

where a practitioner practises the profession while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs;
where a practitioner practises in a way that places the public at risk of substantial harm because of an impairment;
where a practitioner practises in a way that constitutes a significant departure from accepted professional standards; or
where a practitioner engages in sexual misconduct in connection with the practise of the profession.

Further information for members of the public, employers, educators or practitioners is available at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) (external) website.