Information
Maintaining registration for medical practitioners with limited registration
(public interest – occasional practice) who have been granted three
renewals of registration in the National Scheme
Summary
This paper describes the pathway to general registration for medical practitioners who currently hold limited
registration (public interest-occasional practice). It also highlights that these practitioners have the option
to move to the non-practising registration category, or to let their registration lapse.
Background
Across Australia there are around 400 medical practitioners with a type of registration called limited
registration (public interest – occasional practice). These medical practitioners were granted this type of
registration at the transition to the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, because they held a
similar type of registration under previous legislation. While the details of their registration varied between
states, they only practised ‘occasionally’, often limited to prescribing and referring and often without being
remunerated. They now hold registration with conditions similar to the previous provisions under which
they were registered. The section of the National Law under which they are registered is s273 (Attachment
A).
The registration category will not be available after three renewals of registration in the National Scheme.
All of the available types of registration are prescribed in the National Law and the law can only be changed
by legislative amendment in each State and Territory; not by policy decision of the Medical Board or
AHPRA or any other national board.
The Board recognises that many medical practitioners with limited registration (public interest – occasional
practice) wish to continue to practise in the same way after their third renewal of registration in the National
Scheme.
The National Law provides medical practitioners with limited registration (public interest-occasional
practice) with three options:
1. make a new application for general registration
2. make a new application for non-practising registration
3. let their registration lapse.
As they consider which choice to make, individual practitioners should take into account the Board’s
previous advice about who needs to be registered which outlines a number of activities such as many
teaching and advisory roles, for which registration may not be necessary.
Medical Board of Australia
G.P.O. Box 9958 | Melbourne VIC 3001 | www.medicalboard.gov.au
Medical practitioners who wish to continue practising in their current scope of practice
The decision about whether or not to apply for any type of registration rests with the individual medical
practitioner. The Board has published a series of registration standards which describe what is required for
particular types of registration. The standards detail the requirements for recency of practice, continuing
professional development, professional indemnity insurance, criminal history checking and English
language proficiency.
To simplify the process for medical practitioners with limited registration (public interest-occasional
practice) who choose to apply for general registration the Board will:

waive the application fee (currently $695) and charge only the annual registration fee (currently $695 or
$612 for medical practitioners whose primary place of practice is New South Wales)

deem the medical practitioner to have met the registration standard for recency of practice if the
applicant is not going to change their scope of practice (ie will only practise occasionally within a
defined scope, such as prescribing and/or referring unremunerated)

not require evidence of English language proficiency, if the medical practitioner has been registered
continuously (ie no lapse in registration between limited registration and general registration).
Medical practitioners with limited registration (public interest-occasional practice) who apply for general
registration will be required to:

meet with the Board’s registration standards for professional indemnity insurance

meet the Board’s standards for continuing professional development

declare their criminal history.
Medical practitioners with limited registration (public interest – occasional practice) who have been
granted three renewals of registration in the National Scheme and who wish to apply for general
registration should submit their documents as early as possible to ensure that their application can
be processed without any gaps in registration. Applications that are incomplete or are not
submitted early might result in a period of deregistration. Applicants are advised to submit
applications before 1 August 2014.
2
V 0.2 Limited registration (public interest - occasional practice)
Attachment A
Extract of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in
each state and territory
S 273 Limited registration (public interest-occasional practice)
(1) This section applies to a person who, immediately before the participation day for a participating
jurisdiction, held a type of registration (however described) in a health profession under the law of that
jurisdiction that was granted—
(a) subject to the following conditions limiting the scope of the person’s practise of the profession —
(i) the person must not practise the profession other than—
(A) to refer a person to another registered health practitioner; or
(B) to prescribe scheduled medicines in specified circumstances; and
(ii) the person must not receive a fee or other benefit for providing a service referred to in
subparagraph (i); or
(b) on the basis the person had indicated the person was retired from regular practise and intended
only to practise on an occasional basis.
(2) From the participation day, the person is taken to hold limited registration in the public interest under
this Law for the limited scope that applied to the person’s practise of the health profession immediately
before the participation day.
Medical Board of Australia
G.P.O. Box 9958 | Melbourne VIC 3001 | www.medicalboard.gov.au