Close
16 Dec 2025
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has published the National Boards' new Guidance on adding information about sexual misconduct to the register of practitioners.
Under changes to the National Law, practitioners who have a tribunal finding of professional misconduct with a basis of sexual misconduct will have this information permanently added to the public register.
The measure provides the public with the information they need and expect when choosing a health practitioner. It will be retrospective and come into effect in April 2026.
National Boards are responsible for deciding if a tribunal finding of professional misconduct included a basis of sexual misconduct. Any matters that meet the requirements will be referenced on the relevant practitioner's register entry with a link to the tribunal decision where publicly available.
Health ministers decided in 2024 that sexual misconduct findings should be added to the register. After parliaments passed the necessary legislative amendments, Ahpra embarked on extensive legal and policy analysis in order to implement the changes. The new Guidance has been significantly improved as a result of consultation feedback on an earlier, initial draft in September-October.
The Guidance: Sexual Misconduct and the National Law published today, is a key resource for National Boards and also provides information for practitioners and the public. It outlines the process Boards will follow, the scope of their considerations, the factors affecting their decisions, how they will engage with affected practitioners, and when and how information will be published on the register.
