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Welcome to our last newsletter for 2025. This edition provides updates on the Board’s recent work including developments in prescribing.
Registration renewal for pharmacists with general and non-practising registration closed on 30 November and the late renewal period will end on 31 December 2025. Anyone who does not renew by this date will have their name removed from the register. If you have not yet renewed, we urge you to do so.
On behalf of the Board, I wish you all a safe and happy festive season and all the best for 2026.
Cameron Phillips Chair, Pharmacy Board of Australia
CONTENT WARNING. This newsletter contains references to sexual misconduct that some readers might find distressing.
If you need help, support is available.
You can access 24-hour phone and online support services from the national sexual assault, family, and domestic violence helpline: 1800 Respect.
13YARN can provide crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Registered health practitioners who have had a concern raised about them are encouraged to contact their insurer, professional association or legal adviser for guidance and support. We publish information on general and profession specific support services on Ahpra's Support services page.
Changes to the way sexual misconduct is reported on the public Register of practitioners are coming in early 2026.
Practitioners who have a tribunal finding of professional misconduct involving sexual misconduct will have this information permanently published on the register. This change is retrospective, applying from the start of regulation of a profession in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme).
The information recorded on the register will include a statement that:
Health ministers decided on this change to protect public safety and ensure people are able to make an informed decision when choosing a health practitioner.
Ahpra and the National Boards are finalising guidance on sexual misconduct and the National Law following extensive consultation and will release this guidance as soon as possible. We have also produced a guide to the overall suite of National Law changes which includes more detail on how Ahpra will implement the changes.
This change will be distressing for some practitioners. If you are contacted by Ahpra about additional information being put on your register entry, we encourage you to contact your insurer, professional association or legal adviser for guidance and support. We publish information on general and profession specific support services on Ahpra’s Support services page.
The Board has continued its work to establish an endorsement for scheduled medicines for pharmacists, supporting a consistent, safe, and nationally coordinated approach to pharmacist prescribing. This approach will enhance public protection and facilitate workforce mobility — both core objectives of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (the National Law). Health ministers have asked us to establish an endorsement, and this is the next stage in our extensive work since 2018 to explore pharmacist prescribing arrangements that ensure public safety.
The Board held a forum in October 2025 to explore the development of a scheduled medicines endorsement for the pharmacy profession and gathered feedback from stakeholders. That feedback is being reviewed to inform the development of a draft for wide-ranging public consultation. Following the consultation, the Board will then develop a proposal for a scheduled medicines endorsement for pharmacists for consideration by health ministers.
The Board looks forward to continued engagement with all stakeholders and interested parties about this important work.
Pharmacists have until 31 December 2025 to renew their general or non-practising registration. Late fees apply. If you don’t renew by 31 December your registration will lapse, your name will be removed from the national register and you won’t be able to use the protected title, pharmacist.
Your reminder email from Ahpra contains your link to online renewal.
Ahpra has a new online portal to manage all aspects of your registration, including multifactor authentication (MFA) to provide an extra layer of security protecting your data.
Read more and access online renewal at the Board’s website.
If you have just completed the final year of your pharmacy program or are an overseas qualified pharmacist and are about to start your internship, welcome to the profession!
If you have secured your supervised practice site, make sure that your preceptor and site have been approved and published on the register before you start your supervised practice hours. You will also be required to enrol in an intern training program (ITP) accredited by the Australian Pharmacy Council.
Don’t forget to ensure that you are covered by professional indemnity insurance that meets the Board’s Registration standard: Professional indemnity insurance arrangements. This may be your own cover or cover provided by your employer.
Other useful resources on our website that you should review include:
Your preceptor can also be a valuable learning resource for you. Ask questions, have regular discussions about a wide range of topics and remember you also need to take responsibility for driving your learning.
The guidance for telehealth and virtual care has been updated to ensure patients receive high-quality care – whether it be in person, over the phone or online.
It expands advice for telehealth prescribers, highlighting poor practice concerns around prescribing that relies on text, email or online questionnaires to assess a patients’ needs rather than a face-to-face, video or telephone consultation.
The guidance reinforces to practitioners that any healthcare provided through telehealth is the practitioner’s responsibility and not the employer’s.
Practitioners working in telehealth-only clinics, particularly those focused on single treatments or medicines, are encouraged to review the clinical governance framework to ensure the care they provide isn’t compromised by commercial gain or convenience.
Good telehealth practices include:
National Boards have also developed case studies for safe use of telehealth, identifying common mistakes like prescribing in an initial telehealth consultation or opting for telehealth when a face-to-face consultation is necessary.
Voluntary assisted dying is available in the ACT for eligible people as an option for end-of-life care alongside palliative care as of 3 November 2025. Training and resources for ACT health practitioners are now online on the ACT Government website. The resources aim to help health professionals understand their legal and regulatory obligations.
More information about the process is available at act.gov.au.
People who make a complaint against a health practitioner will be protected from reprisals or retaliation under increases to consumer protections now in effect.
People who make a complaint in good faith are already protected from liability for information they provide to Ahpra and the National Boards. The changes will extend this protection, making it an offence for someone to threaten, intimidate or otherwise retaliate against a notifier for making a complaint.
The maximum penalty will be $60,000 for an individual or $120,000 for a body corporate.
It will also be illegal to enter into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with a patient, unless it clearly states in writing that it does not limit a person from making a notification or providing assistance to regulators. Any NDAs that do seek to limit a person’s ability to make a complaint will be invalid.
The consumer protection changes are part of series of amendments to the National Law coming into effect over the coming months.
Information on the changes, how they will be implemented and what they mean for practitioners and the public is available in the full information guide.
Both guides are available on the National Law amendments page on the Ahpra website, which includes links to related topics and will be updated as our implementation activities progress.
One of the guiding documents used for the education and regulation of prescribers has been updated, pushing for patient-centred care and responding to the fast-evolving world of healthcare.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing contracted Ahpra to review the second edition of the National Prescribing Competencies Framework (the framework) as part of its ongoing commitment to quality use of medicines.
Last updated in 2021, the framework outlines the skills and knowledge required of prescribers, best practice around the use of medicines, and the professional obligations of those involved. It also guides education and training programs, policy development and regulatory responses.
'This framework is part of the foundational building blocks that educators, regulators, practitioners and even the public can use to understand what’s expected in safe and effective prescribing,’ Ahpra Chief Executive Officer Justin Untersteiner said.
‘The principles in this framework guide what is expected of any prescriber so it’s important that it keeps pace with the evolving healthcare landscape.’
The third edition of the framework has now been approved by the Department and is published on the Ahpra website.
Read more about the changes to the framework.
Ahpra and the National Boards remain committed to the prevention of racism and discrimination in healthcare.
This includes the development of a culturally safe and respectful health workforce that contributes to the elimination of racism in the provision of health services.
As announced in September, health ministers have issued a policy direction around the practitioner response to racism and discrimination, including antisemitism.
Ministers highlighted the expertise and experience that Ahpra and the National Boards have in combating racism and discrimination. By way of example, ministers cited the strength of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy.
Under the direction, Ahpra and the National Boards will ensure health practitioners are completing sufficient education and training to help promote a culture of anti-racism and anti-discrimination and Ahpra will review notifications and complaints processes on racism and discrimination. Ahpra will also work with accreditation authorities to ensure that programs of study equip practitioners to address racism and discrimination.
A new report shows 13 actions aimed at reducing practitioner distress during the regulatory process have now been completed, including changes to the way Ahpra collects information and manages notifications about a practitioner’s health.
The actions were recommended by the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on minimising practitioner distress, which includes practitioner members with lived experience of the notifications process. The EAG recommended 33 actions covering four areas: managing practitioner health concerns; being open, transparent and fostering hope; supporting practitioners throughout the process; and learning from the practitioner experience.
A report showing the actions completed so far, as well as those still in progress, is now available on the Ahpra website. You can find out more at our webpage: Improving the notifications experience.
Health ministers have released the final report of the Independent review of complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) with a formal response to 26 recommended actions.
Ahpra welcomes this important milestone and commends independent reviewer Sue Dawson on the work she has carried out since being appointed to the role in April 2024.
Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said the agency was well-placed to respond to the report and looked forward to working with ministers, departments and other stakeholders on future reforms.
‘The National Scheme has been built on solid foundations but there is much more to do. We know that what got us here, won’t get us there.’
Co-convenor of the Forum of National Registration and Accreditation Scheme Chairs, Rachel Phillips, welcomed the release of the Dawson review.
‘For Ahpra to be effective, there needs to be transparency around the National Scheme and the measures in place to support practitioners and protect the public,’ Ms Phillips said.
‘The Dawson review adds to the work already under way to improve the system and foster a level of collaboration among regulators and other stakeholders that will serve us well into the future.’
Read the full news article.
Driving safe and sustainable workforce growth through streamlined registration procedures and a strengthened focus on harm prevention are some of the highlights of the 2024/25 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) annual report.
Read the Pharmacy Board report and statistics on the Board’s Annual report webpage.
Ahpra’s independently chaired Accreditation Committee invites you to give feedback on its draft principles for the use of outcome-based approaches to accreditation.
An outcome-based approach to accreditation focuses on ensuring students graduate with the professional capabilities required for safe practice as registered health practitioners in Australia and encourages flexible and innovative approaches to education in response to changes in community need, healthcare models and innovations.
The principles will provide accreditation authorities with guidance and good practice examples of how outcome-based approaches to accreditation are currently being used across the National Scheme. The principles aim to foster continuous improvement in the education and accreditation of health practitioners alongside existing accreditation standards and processes.
'The principles will help to support flexible, responsive and equitable approaches to accreditation across the National Scheme and will contribute to ensuring registered health practitioners can provide high-quality and safe healthcare', Professor Andrew Wilson AO, independent chair of the Accreditation Committee, said.
Public consultation on these draft principles is open until 24 December 2025.
Find out more about the consultation and how to provide feedback at the Accreditation Committee’s Current consultations webpage.
