May 2025

Issue 14 – May 2025

From the Chair
Board news
- Consultation open on advanced practice paramedic proposal
- Latest workforce data released
What’s new?
Want more information?

From the Chair

Welcome to the May edition of the Paramedicine Board of Australia newsletter.

The Board is very pleased to have recently released a model for the regulation of advanced practice paramedicine for public consultation, which is available on our website. This public consultation is the culmination of an extensive range of engagement activities going back as far as August 2023, when we reached out to stakeholders to discuss the current and future practice of paramedics.

Thank you to all the paramedics and others who have taken the time to generously provide insight and feedback, which has been critical in successfully advancing this work. There is still significant work to do, and the Board appreciates your ongoing support in developing the regulatory model for this important complementary area of professional practice.

As always, take care and be safe.

Professor Stephen Gough ASM
Chair, Paramedicine Board of Australia

Board news

Consultation open on advanced practice paramedic proposal

More Australians will be able to access high-quality, safe healthcare, under a proposal to support paramedics to expand their scope of practice.

Under the regulation model proposed by the Paramedicine Board of Australia, advanced practice paramedics would be endorsed to provide advanced critical care and advanced primary care in paramedicine, as well as independently prescribe scheduled medicines.

Currently, paramedics are unable to independently prescribe medicines. The Board says that allowing experienced paramedics to expand their scope of practice in this area will support improved access to healthcare services when needed, especially in rural and remote communities.

‘Australia’s healthcare landscape is changing rapidly, with an ageing population and increase in chronic diseases leading to ongoing health workforce challenges to meet community needs,’ Paramedicine Board Chair, Professor Stephen Gough said.

‘Enabling qualified, highly experienced paramedics to fully utilise their health expertise, both in ambulance services and in community care settings, will give more Australians further opportunity to safely access qualified practitioners, to support meeting their healthcare needs.’

Public consultation on the advanced practice paramedic proposal opened in April and runs until Friday 20 June 2025.

Find out more at the Current consultations page of the Board website or contact the Board at paramedicineconsultation@ahpra.gov.au.

Latest workforce data released

The Board’s latest quarterly registration data report covers the period to 31 March 2025. At that date, there were 26,385 registered paramedics nationally. Of these, 25,538 had general registration and 847 had non-practising registration.

Paramedic numbers by gender (general and non-practising registration)

By gender, the national percentages are 51.9% female (13,697), 48% male (12,675) and <0.1% (13) not stated, intersex or indeterminate.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander paramedics

There are 568 paramedics who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. This is 2.2% of the total registrant number.

For further data breakdowns by age, gender, registration type and principal place of practice, visit the Board’s Statistics page.

What's new?

Increased protection for the public

Patients are being given greater insight into the safety of practitioners, under new measures that will see proven instances of sexual misconduct permanently published on their public register record.

The amendments will also provide increased protections for people who make complaints about health practitioners, including new measures making it an offence for practitioners to enter into non-disclosure agreements that prevent complaints being made to health regulators.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) Acting CEO Kym Ayscough said at the time that the new measures were a milestone in patient protection.

‘Everybody has the right to expect their practitioner to be safe and fit to practise, and these reforms strengthen that right,’ Ms Ayscough said.

‘We support these changes, which align with the range of reforms that Ahpra and the National Boards are progressing as part of our actions to improve public safety involving sexual misconduct in healthcare.’

Read about the key changes to the National Law.

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’s new CEO

Ahpra has appointed Justin Untersteiner as Chief Executive Officer.

Justin joined Ahpra in April and 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.

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 is 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.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy

Ahpra and the National Scheme have announced their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy, informed by extensive consultation and the expertise of Professor Yin Paradies, a leading scholar in racism and cultural safety.

This policy has been developed by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to create a safe, valued, and respectful environment within Ahpra and the National Boards

It forms a critical step in enacting Ahpra and the National Scheme’s policy and legislative commitments to eliminating racism.

Racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is persistent, harmful, and structurally embedded. This policy acknowledges those realities and provides clear mechanisms for preventing, addressing, and eliminating racism within Ahpra, the National Boards and committees. It establishes stronger reporting pathways and introduces the Racism-related Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-only Special Issues Committee (RATSISIC) to ensure culturally informed responses to racism.

The policy reflects the hard work and leadership of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy Working Group, chaired by Professor Carmen Parter, whose contributions were vital to its development.

Download a copy of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy. You'll find this under 'Ahpra, Ahpra Board and National Boards information', click on the Ahpra tab.

Updated English language skills registration standard now in effect

The revised Registration standard: English language skills is now in effect. While currently 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.

When do I need to make a notification as a treating practitioner?

When treating a practitioner who has a health, mental health, or drug or alcohol issue, you only need to notify Ahpra if you think their health, performance or conduct may be putting the public at substantial risk of harm.

While mandatory notifications are an important part of our regulatory process to keep patients and the public safe, they are not necessary in most cases.

There are four concerns that may trigger a mandatory notification. Depending on the type of concern, you must assess the risk of harm to the public when deciding whether to make a mandatory notification. The four concerns are:

impairment
intoxication while practising
significant departure from accepted professional standards
sexual misconduct.

When it comes to impairment, as long as the practitioner you’re treating won’t pose a substantial risk to the public, is managing their condition, and getting the help they need to practise safely, then you don’t need to make a notification to Ahpra.

Seeking help when they need it is the best thing that a practitioner can do, and you can play an important role in supporting them to continue to practise safely and ensure their patients continue to receive safe care.

Find out more about making a mandatory notification.

Want more information?

Visit the Board’s website for fact sheets and FAQs that help answer common questions about paramedic registration, and professional standards, codes and guidelines.
For employers of paramedics, we have specific information to help you in the Fact sheet: Employer obligations under the National Law.
Lodge an online enquiry form.
For registration enquiries, call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9285 3010 (for overseas callers).
Address mail correspondence to: Professor Stephen Gough ASM, Chair, Paramedicine Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne, VIC 3001.