AMA Victoria recently met with Ahpra to discuss two areas of current work: the agency’s focus on gender equity issues in healthcare and efforts to improve the fairness of registration fees.

Ahpra has commenced a broad examination of gender equity, building what it describes as “regulatory intelligence” to better understand where gender bias arises- whether in patient care, workplace culture, or other parts of the health system. This work is at an early stage and is intended to augment existing initiatives, including work on sexual misconduct and domestic violence. AMA Victoria emphasised that progress will depend on Ahpra also addressing its own policies and culture, as well as recognising that notifications themselves can sometimes reflect discriminatory attitudes.

In parallel, Ahpra is reviewing options to improve registration fee equity. The recent introduction of a 30% fee rebate for practitioners taking extended leave due to parental responsibilities, disability, or other protected attributes is a positive step. However, it has several limitations: the rebate figure is relatively low, especially for practitioners who are away from practice for much of the year; practitioners must pay the full annual fee upfront and claim the rebate later; and eligibility requires 6 continuous months of leave. A wider review is currently looking at how a pro-rata approach to fees can be implemented. It is expected to report by November 2025 with recommendations aimed at coming into effect by 1 July 2026. In this context, AMA Victoria’s Council has recently passed a motion calling for further reform, including greater transparency, a clear timeline for developing a pro-rata fee model, and clearer recognition of part-time work and protected leave in future arrangements.

We will provide a more detailed update as Ahpra’s consultation on fee equity advances and further information and opportunities for member input become available.

Further information:

• https://www.ahpra.gov.au/News/2025-07-07-Parental-leave-fee-relief.aspx
• https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Applying-for-registration/Fee-relief.aspx
• Gender equity and regulation: AMA Victoria engages with Ahpra
• AMA Victoria update: Ahpra takes steps towards fairer registration fees