Registration and how to apply

• All Aboriginal Health Workers who were registered with the Aboriginal Health Workers Board of the Northern Territory automatically transferred to the new national system on 1 July 2012.
• Practitioners who were not registered in the Northern Territory, but who work in a clinical role, need to check with their employer to see if they are required to be registered to continue to work in their current job.
• Practitioners who are required by their employer to be registered, and who have the relevant qualification or equivalent, should lodge an application for registration with the Board.
• Practitioners who are not required by their employer to be registered, but have the relevant qualification and meet the Board’s other registration requirements, may choose to apply for registration.
• Practitioners who do not have a Certificate IV (Practice) but have qualifications and experience which the Board may consider to be equivalent to the Certificate IV (Practice) may also apply for registration under the ‘grandparenting’ provisions until 1 July 2015
• Practitioners who are not eligible for national registration will still be able to work if their employer does not require them to be registered. However, they will need to continue to use their existing titles i.e. Aboriginal Health Worker, Drug and Alcohol Worker, Mental Health Worker, Diabetes Educator etc.

All those who were registered with the Aboriginal Health Workers Board in the Northern Territory are automatically registered under the new National Scheme as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners.

Only those people who are not registered in the Northern Territory, are working in a clinical role, and are required by their employer to use the title Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner, Aboriginal health practitioner or Torres Strait Islander health practitioner after 1 July 2012 need to be registered.

In addition, those people who meet the standards set by the Board, may still choose to register even if they don’t have to, but will not be legally required to do so. There is no urgency for these people to apply for registration although it is likely that the positions available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners will increase over time.

Those practitioners who are not required by their employer to use the title Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner, Aboriginal health practitioner or Torres Strait Islander health practitioner, are not required to be registered, and will still be able to continue to work, using their existing titles (for example, Aboriginal Health Worker, Drug and Alcohol Worker, Mental Health Worker, and so on).

Yes. Belonging to a professional association is something you do because you want to do it. It is not something you do because you have to do it. Being registered is a legal requirement under the National Law if you are working as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner or under any of the other protected titles.

The Board’s definition of practice is:

Any role, whether remunerated or not, in which the individual uses their skills and knowledge as a health practitioner in their profession. For the purposes of this registration standard, practice is not restricted to the provision of direct clinical care. It also includes using professional knowledge in a direct non-clinical relationship with clients, working in management, administration, education, research, advisory, regulatory or policy development roles, and any other roles that impact on safe, effective delivery of services in the profession.

Yes, you can re-apply for registration at a later date but this will require you to complete a new application and provide evidence that you meet all the Board’s registration standards as if applying for the first time.

The Board’s recency of practice registration standard outlines the scope, requirements and possible exemptions for practitioners who have been absent from practice.

Under the National Law, the Board may decide that an individual is not a suitable person to hold general registration as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner because they have not practised the profession for the length of time which the Board considers to be sufficient. More information around the requirements in relation to recency of practice can be found in the Board’s recency of practice registration standard and the Board’s recency of practice guidelines.

When a practitioner renews their registration, they must also make a declaration that they have met the recency of practice requirements set by the Board.

Registration application forms are available on the Board’s website. If you do not have internet access, paper copies can be requested by phoning AHPRA on 1300 419 495.

Aboriginal Health Workers who were registered with the Northern Territory Aboriginal Health Workers Board on 30 June 2012 will automatically transition to the National Scheme and so will not need to apply for registration. These practitioners will not pay an application fee, but will need to pay an annual renewal fee in November 2012, at the end of their registration period.

People who need to use the title of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner who were not currently registered in the Northern Territory are encouraged to submit their application for registration to AHPRA immediately.

No. You must renew your registration and pay the registration renewal fee annually. You are also required to complete and submit an annual renewal form declaring that you meet the Board’s registration standards (i.e. continuing professional development, criminal history, professional indemnity insurance arrangements, recency of practice and the requirement that to be an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner you must also be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person).

It is intended that your registration remains the same, even though the words used to describe the type of registration may have changed. Your existing registration in the Northern Territory, including any conditions, undertakings or equivalent endorsements, was rolled over into the new registration arrangements on 1 July 2012 without the need for you to do anything.

You have a new national registration number. Your new national registration number will be recorded on your national registration certificate, along with the date that you will need to renew your registration. You can also check your registration on the online register of health practitioners.

No. Your application to the Aboriginal Health Workers Board in the Northern Territory will be considered to be an application under the National Law. Although you may be asked to provide additional information required under the legislation, you will not need to reapply.

Any conditions on your current registration will transfer to your new national registration.

It depends on your particular situation and circumstances and what has happened since. Each case will be considered individually. The Board expects applicants to be honest about their past. A failure to report previous action taken will be considered serious, even if the underlying conduct was not so serious.

AHPRA sends all practitioners a notice to renew when their registration renewal is due as well as reminders to renew. Most practitioners can renew online, but health practitioners with Limited or Provisional registration cannot renew online because of extra information requirements.

If you are unable to renew your registration on time, you may continue to practise for up to one month following the expiry date of your registration due to a provision in the National Law. However, a late fee is payable, and your renewal date will remain as it was, i.e. your registration will be back dated to your original renewal date.

If you do not renew within one month of your registration expiry date, your registration will be cancelled and you will need to complete an entirely new application and pay an application fee and a registration fee, not just a renewal fee.

No not necessarily. The Board is not involved in determining who has access to Medicare as this is the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government. The Board is only concerned about issues to do with registration and accreditation.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners with non-practising registration cannot undertake any clinical practice but they can use the protected title. They are not permitted to treat or refer, regardless of whether they are being paid or not. There is a lower fee for non-practising registration.

This type of registration may be suitable for practitioners who:

• have retired or
• are temporarily not practising (for example on maternity or sick leave).