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National Registration Scheme

Occupational therapists in Australia will join the Commonwealth Government National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in July 2012. The scheme, which commences in July 2010 for the 10 currently nationally registered professions, will ensure for the first time that all occupational therapists in Australia are registered health professionals.

Currently, occupational therapists in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory are registered with State-based registration boards, and will transition automatically into the new National Scheme in 2012.

Occupational therapists in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT, who have never been registered under State legislation, will be required to apply for registration to continue their professional practice. This includes not only occupational therapists who work in positions designated as “occupational therapist”, but all those that hold themselves out in any way as an “occupational therapist”, regardless of the job title.

The key advantages of national registration is to ensure the safety of consumers of occupational therapy services by ensuring practitioners across the country are appropriately qualified and competent to practise. National registration also facilitates workforce mobility across state and territory borders.

Occupational therapists and their employers will be required to ensure that occupational therapists in all States and Territories hold registration under this new scheme, commencing in July 2012. Students in occupational therapy programs will also need to be registered.

Members of both Occupational Therapy Australia and the Occupational Therapy Council of Australia and New Zealand are working together to stay apprised of developments in the new scheme and will update occupational therapists with new information as it comes to hand. We aim to ensure that all occupational therapists are adequately prepared and fully aware of the requirements for registration in plenty of time prior to 1 July 2012.

Detailed information about the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme is available from:
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: www.ahpra.gov.au

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From 1 July 2010 all enquiries should be directed to our new offices at:

Location :      Suite 3, 154 Fullarton Road, Rose Park SA 5067
Telephone :   +61 8 8431 5079
Facsimile :     +61 8 8333 1569
E-mail :           admin@cotrb.com.au
Website:         www.cotrb.com.au

Welcome to the Occupational Therapy Council (Aust & NZ) Inc

The Council of Occupational Therapists Registration Boards (Australia & New Zealand) Inc. ("COTRB") was established in 1996 in Queensland for the consideration of matters of joint or common concern or interest to the Occupational Therapists Registration Boards in Australia and New Zealand. On the 17 February 2010 the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs (SA) approved amendment to its Constitution and Rules and a change of name to the Occupational Therapy Council (Australia & New Zealand) Inc. ("OTC")

The OTC is an independent body comprising membership from the 5 State / Territory Occupational Therapy Registration Boards in Australia and New Zealand.The Board of Management comprises registered occupational therapists (nominated by the Registration Boards), nominees from the professional associations (Occupational Therapy Australia Limited (OTAL) and New Zealand Association of Occupational Therapists), nominees from the Australian and New Zealand Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ANZCOTE) and community representation.

The primary objects of OTC are to -
  • Assess for the purpose of granting accreditation to, programs leading to eligibility for registration as an occupational therapist;
  • Advise and make recommendations to the occupational therapy registering authorities (or successor body(ies)) relating to the accredited status to be granted to an occupational therapy program;
  • Develop, review and maintain accreditation standards and processes to assess occupational therapy programs;
  • Develop and implement an overseas skills assessment process to ensure the knowledge, clinical skills and professional attributes of overseas trained occupational therapists is of an equivalent standard to occupational therapists in Australia and New Zealand;
  • Provide information and advice to Government concerning the adequacy of a person’s qualifications and skills in the field of occupational therapy for the purposes of migration to Australia and New Zealand;
  • Provide information and advice to Government relating to law and policy concerning accreditation and competency requirements for the registration of occupational therapists;
The Council became an incorporated body on 21 January 2000.

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