May 2025

Issue 34 – May 2025

From the Chair
Priority news
- Discrimination and racism will not be tolerated: Joint statement from Ahpra and the National Boards
- Health practitioner regulators united: family violence is unacceptable
Board news
Registration news
- Updated English language skills registration standard now in effect
- Latest workforce data released
What’s new?
Stay in touch with the Board

From the Chair

Prof Danforn Lim CMBA Chair Welcome to our first newsletter of 2025. The Board has started the year with a strong focus on local and international engagement, meeting with regulatory bodies and councils across the globe to exchange insights on emerging regulatory issues. These conversations are fostering valuable relationships and strengthening our shared commitment to safe, high-quality care. We look forward to building on these partnerships as we continue to advance international regulatory collaboration in Chinese medicine, ensuring the Chinese medicine profession remains responsive, connected, and future-focused for the benefit of the community we serve. Read more in this edition.

Earlier this year, Ahpra and the National Boards released a joint statement on discrimination and racism in healthcare, alongside a shared position from health practitioner regulators on family violence. These statements serve as important reminders of the critical role registered health practitioners play in recognising and responding to these complex issues. I encourage you to read and reflect on these statements, as part of our shared commitment to providing safe, respectful, and equitable care for all members of our community.

If you are passionate about contributing to the future of the profession and supporting public safety, I warmly encourage you to consider applying for a position on the Chinese Medicine Accreditation Committee. This committee plays a vital role in safeguarding standards in education and training, and offers a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate leadership, insight, and commitment to the profession. See the story below for more information – applications close 11 May.

Wishing you a healthy year ahead.

Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim
Chair, Chinese Medicine Board of Australia

Priority news

Discrimination and racism will not be tolerated: Joint statement from Ahpra and the National Boards

More than 900,000 registered health practitioners provide much needed safe healthcare every day in Australia.

Safe healthcare relies on trust between patients and practitioners. Discrimination and racism erode that trust and put lives at risk.

There is no place for discrimination, racism or intolerance in healthcare.

Ahpra and the National Boards remind registered health practitioners of their obligations under their codes of conduct and ethics to provide care that is free of discrimination and racism. The codes of conduct and ethics set out the legal requirements, professional behaviour and conduct expectations for registered health practitioners in Australia. The codes underpin the requirements for the delivery of safe and respectful practice.

The shared Code of conduct, for example, states that practitioners must:

respect diverse cultures, beliefs, gender identities, sexualities and experiences of people, including among team members
adopt practices that respect diversity, avoid bias, discrimination and racism, and challenge belief based upon assumption.

The codes for all professions include similar requirements.

Practitioners must also comply with the standards of their workplace and adopt practices that foster a respectful, inclusive and safe healthcare environment.

Read the full statement on the Ahpra website.

Health practitioner regulators united: family violence is unacceptable

Australia’s health practitioner regulators are united in their view that family violence is unacceptable.

For the first time ever, these regulators issued a joint statement reminding practitioners of the critical contribution they can make in Australia’s response to tackling family violence.

The statement recognises the role of regulators in the collective effort to end family violence by supporting victim-survivors, setting clear expectations of health practitioners, taking regulatory action as appropriate and condemning all forms of family violence.

Health practitioners are often the first point of contact for victim-survivors, so play an essential role in the early detection, support, referral, and delivery of specialised treatment to those experiencing family violence.

Health practitioners are also reminded that their own conduct, as well as that of their colleagues, must reflect the trust and confidence the public have in them for safe and effective healthcare. Regulators work to ensure health practitioners are safe, ethical, and professional for the protection of the public.

Family violence can also be a serious crime and a violation of human rights. It is a gross departure from the ethical standards of behaviour expected of health practitioners. Health practitioners who are perpetrators of family violence could face suspension, cancellation, the imposition of conditions, or refusal of registration.

As regulators we are committed to minimising the risk of adding to victim-survivors’ trauma or exposing them to further risk of harm. We seek to respond to victim-survivors’ complaints about health practitioners in a trauma-informed way. This means prioritising the safety and dignity of victim-survivors and respectfully and sensitively supporting them through the health complaint management process.

We encourage any person aware of a health practitioner perpetrating family violence to provide information to the police and appropriate regulatory body. A list of health practitioner regulator contact details, as well as police, family violence information and support services, is included in the joint position statement.

Read the media release.

Board news

Call for applications – Chinese Medicine Accreditation Committee

Are you interested in supporting the Board with developing accreditation standards? Applications for vacancies on the Chinese Medicine Accreditation Committee are open until 11 May 2025.

This is an exciting opportunity for experienced Chinese medicine practitioners to showcase their leadership skills and support the Board in its work.

For more information about the committee and how to apply, please visit Ahpra's Statutory appointments page.

Regulatory examinations: updates and resources

The Board has made some updates to the Chinese Medicine Board regulatory examination resources. These updates include increased flexibility where candidates may sit just the relevant divisional components of acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine, in circumstances where they have either passed the common stations or already hold current registration with the Board.

Note that this may not apply in circumstances where a candidate is required to sit the exam(s) due to not meeting a Board registration standard or undergoing a performance assessment. The exam policy has also been updated to include a cap for the number of times candidates can attempt the MSQ and OSCE: this cap is five times.

For more information about the regulatory examinations and to access the resources, visit the Board’s website.

Board collaboration and engagement – our Chair reports

In January, I had the opportunity to meet with Anita Hobson-Powell, Chief Allied Health Officer, alongside our Ahpra colleagues Kirsten Hibberd and Catherine Whitehead. Following this constructive meeting, the Board submitted profession-specific feedback to the Draft National Allied Health Workforce Strategy. Our submission highlighted important statistical, regulatory, and patient safety considerations unique to the Chinese medicine profession, and we were pleased to contribute meaningfully to a strategy that is anticipated to shape the future of the allied health workforce in Australia.

In March, the Board held its annual planning day, an important event that reflects our enduring commitment to inclusive and collaborative leadership. We are proud to be the only National Board that invites all committee members, alongside Board members, to contribute to this pivotal gathering. Together, we shaped the strategic priorities that will guide our work over the next 12 to 24 months, ensuring that our collective efforts remain grounded, future-focused, and in service of both public safety and regulatory integrity.

Above: The Board and committee members gathered for our annual planning day in March.Earlier this year, the Board also welcomed a delegation from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

Our engagement began in Sydney, where we shared insights into our international registration process and delivered a presentation on the Board’s accreditation framework. The delegation continued their visit in Melbourne with a tour of the Assessment Learning Examination Centre. This exchange provided a valuable platform for mutual learning, fostering international collaboration and thoughtful discussion on shared regulatory priorities and the evolving dynamics of global healthcare.

Below: Nanyang Technological University Singapore delegates with Catherine Whitehead, A/Executive Officer Chinese Medicine Board of Australia (centre) and Roger Garcia, National Manager Registration, Ahpra (far left), at the Assessment Learning Examination Centre in Melbourne in January 2025.

A group of people with one holding a certificate

Above: In Sydney with Nanyang Technological University Singapore delegates, Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim, Catherine Whitehead and Kirsten Hibberd, National Program Manager, Board Governance, Ahpra.

Over the past two months, we have had the privilege of engaging virtually with overseas colleagues from the Professional Standards Authority UK, British Acupuncture Council, Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine, and Lincoln College to deepen our understanding of regulatory and educational developments for acupuncturists and Chinese herbal medicine practitioners in the United Kingdom. We also continued our valued dialogue with the New Zealand Council of Chinese Medicine, sharing insights and perspectives on regulatory practice and matters relating to the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement.

Registration news

Updated English language skills registration standard now in effect

The revised Registration standard: English language skills is now in effect. Already registered practitioners won’t need to meet this standard. These changes will enable more flexible pathways for future applicants, getting more practitioners into the workforce safely.

Important changes to the standard include expanding the list of recognised countries, reducing the accepted score for the writing component of approved English language tests to IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent), adding the Cambridge English language skills test and improving flexibility for applicants to meet National Boards’ English language skill requirements.

Latest workforce data released

The Board has released its quarterly registration report for 1 October to 31 December 2024. At this date, there were 4,920 registered practitioners: 4,541 with general registration, 365 non-practising registrants and one practitioner with limited registration.

There were 24 practitioners who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or 0.5 per cent of the profession.

For more details, including registration data by principal place of practice, age and gender, visit our Statistics page.

What’s new?

Parental leave fee relief on the way

A 30 per cent rebate on annual registration fees for practitioners who take parental leave will come into effect on 1 July 2025, while a wider review of pro rata fees gets underway.

This action is designed to provide relief for practitioners taking parental leave (and other forms of protected leave types such as disability and carer’s leave).

It is a first step in a range of measures that Ahpra and the National Boards are examining to make the annual registration fees system more flexible and responsive.

New case studies added to guidance for practitioners using social media

Ahpra and the National Boards have made some updates to the social media guidance to ensure it remains relevant and useful to practitioners.

The updates include prioritising the information around public comment and trust in the professions to highlight the recent joint statement on discrimination and racism, new case studies for social media activities likely to warrant an investigation, and further professionalism pitfalls to be aware of when using social media.

While these additions do not change the underlying guidance for practitioners, it provides further clarity on emerging issues. Ahpra and the National Boards will assess the need to conduct a full review of the guidance in the future, with an opportunity for you to provide feedback.

Read the latest additions to the social media guidance on our website.

New Ahpra portal

Ahpra recently launched a new online portal, where you can access new digital smart forms for applications and renewal of registration.

Your Ahpra portal will be where you can manage your registration. You can download your registration certificate, renew your registration, and apply to change your registration type.

Next time you log in the experience will be a bit different. We’ve introduced multifactor authentication (also called two-step verification) for additional account security. There is also a new proof of identity process. Your identity will be verified by a third party using biometric verification.

You don’t need to do anything until it’s time for you to renew your registration. Look out for the usual reminders for this and we’ll explain how to set up your account then.

Need to access your Ahpra portal now? Go to our Ahpra Portal help centre.

Help protect your data

Help protect your data by being alert to scammers and only logging in to the Ahpra portal direct from the Ahpra website: www.ahpra.gov.au.

We will only ask you to log in to your Ahpra portal when you’re due to renew your registration.

Ahpra appoints new CEO

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) has appointed Justin Untersteiner as Chief Executive Officer.

Justin, who started his role at Ahpra in April, brings over 20 years’ experience in regulation and compliance, most recently as Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

Ahpra Board Chair Gill Callister PSM said that Justin was an impressive leader who stood out in a field of domestic and international candidates.

‘Justin’s experience in leading change and bringing new approaches, combined with his knowledge of regulation and compliance, made him a standout candidate,’ she said.

‘Justin’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for Ahpra, and the Board is looking forward to working with him to build the next phase of Australia’s health regulation system.’

Justin succeeds Martin Fletcher who completed his final term as CEO in December 2024.

Learn more about Ahpra’s new CEO.

Research provides clues to boost health workforce retention

Most Australian health practitioners surveyed say they want to stay in their profession, however more than one in 10 are unsure about their future or have plans to leave within a year, with mental burnout a key reason why.

New research from Ahpra, published in the Australian Health Review, identifies the factors driving practitioners’ choices to stay or leave the health workforce, across nine regulated health professions.

Despite a regulated workforce of 920,535 health practitioners in 2024, forecasts predict that the sector will struggle to meet the demands of Australia’s growing and ageing population in coming years.

Ahpra’s Workforce Retention and Attrition Project found the top five reasons influencing practitioners to leave their profession included mental burnout, retirement, feeling undervalued/unrecognised, lack of professional satisfaction, and work no longer being fulfilling.

Chair of the Psychology Board of Australia and Co-convener of the Forum of National Registration and Accreditation Scheme Chairs, Rachel Phillips said improvements in these areas could have a major impact on increasing retention in the health workforce and, importantly, improving the health and wellbeing of practitioners.

‘A resilient health workforce is essential to keeping our communities safe, healthy and growing, and the wellbeing of our practitioners goes hand-in-hand with that,’ she said.

‘These findings highlight the importance of a working environment that is both professionally fulfilling and supportive of practitioner wellbeing – not only for the welfare of our valued practitioners themselves, but also the health needs of the patients they care for.’

Stay in touch with the Board

Visit the Chinese Medicine Board website for news about the profession, information on the National Scheme and for registration standards, codes, guidelines, policies and fact sheets.
Lodge an online enquiry form.
For registration enquiries call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9135 3010 (for overseas callers).
Address mail correspondence to: Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim, Chair, Chinese Medicine Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne VIC 3001.