Every psychologist with general registration in Australia declares at renewal that the Psychology Board of Australia's continuing professional development standard has been met. The standard is counted in hours over a cycle, with a share that must be peer consultation and a learning plan behind it — and the declaration is one Ahpra can audit after the event. This guide sets out what the standard asks for in 2026, how an ethics and professionalism course counts toward it, what to keep as evidence, and what happens if the records are asked for.
Psychology Board of Australia CPD Requirements at a Glance
The Psychology Board's registration standard asks for a minimum of 30 hours of CPD in each CPD cycle, which runs from 1 December to 30 November; registration is renewed by 30 November. The hours are counted in two parts:
| Kind of activity | Minimum each cycle | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Peer consultation | At least 10 hours | Supervision, consultation and discussion with peers about your practice, individually or in a group |
| Other CPD | The remaining 20 hours | Assessed courses, workshops, conferences, reading with reflection, structured self-directed learning |
| Area-of-practice endorsement | Within the 30 hours | CPD relevant to the endorsed area |
The hours follow a learning plan built on a self-assessment of your skills and knowledge, and each activity ends with a written reflection tied to the plan. A psychologist registered for less than the full cycle completes 2.5 hours for each full month, a third of it peer consultation.
An assessed two-hour ethics course is 2 hours of the 20 hours that are not peer consultation. Australian Psychologists can see the ethics and professionalism courses written for psychologists that count under the standard.
The Learning Plan and Peer Consultation
The Board's standard starts with a self-assessment: where your practice is, where it needs to go, and the learning objectives that follow. The plan names those objectives and the activities you intend to complete against each, and the portfolio records a reflection on each activity when it is done. The 10 hours of peer consultation are the easiest part to leave to chance; a standing arrangement — a supervision group, a monthly consultation with a peer — records itself.
Ethics and professionalism belong in every psychologist's plan. The Psychology Board's Code of conduct for psychologists, in effect since 1 December 2025, is what a notification about a dual relationship, a boundary, confidentiality, a report written for a third party or informed consent is measured against, and CPD that covers it is relevant by definition.
Ethics and Professionalism as CPD: How They Count
An online ethics course with an assessment you must pass to receive the certificate is CPD in the 20-hour part of the standard: a two-hour course is 2 hours. The certificate records the course title, the provider, the date of completion and the hours, which is what the portfolio and an audit need; the portfolio adds the objective in your learning plan the course met and a written reflection. Discussing the course and its application to a case with a peer, and recording the discussion, is peer consultation in its own right.
For a psychologist responding to an Ahpra notification, under conditions, or preparing for a Performance and Professional Standards Panel, ethics CPD does a second job. A completed, assessed course on the standard you are said to have breached — consent, confidentiality, record-keeping, professional boundaries, dual relationships, reports — is evidence of insight and remediation that the Psychology Board weighs alongside the written response. It shows engagement with the standard rather than a statement that you have read it. A dated certificate attached to the response, with a paragraph on what you took from the course and what you have changed, is the form that evidence takes.
For a psychologist renewing with no concern raised, the same course is a planned activity that answers the audit question before it is asked.
Recording and Keeping Your CPD Evidence
Nothing is submitted to Ahpra at renewal; you declare that the standard has been met. The record behind that declaration is the CPD portfolio the Board asks you to keep, and it is what an audit asks for. The portfolio holds:
- The learning plan, built on your self-assessment, with the objectives for the cycle.
- The activity log: the date, title, provider and hours of each activity, and whether it was peer consultation.
- A written reflection on each activity, linked to the objective it served.
- The evidence: certificates, receipts, invoices and attendance records where they exist, and a note of each peer consultation session.
The Board asks you to keep the portfolio for five years in case you are audited. A notification can reopen a question about CPD completed years earlier.
Ahpra CPD Audits and What Happens If You Fall Short
After each renewal Ahpra audits a sample of practitioners against the registration standards, CPD among them. Selection is largely random; being audited is not a sign of concern. You are asked to supply evidence for the declaration you made: the portfolio for the cycle — the plan, the log, the reflections and the evidence, including the peer consultation hours. There is a set period to respond, and a response that is late or thin is itself a finding.
Where the evidence falls short of the standard, the Psychology Board can require the shortfall to be made up and may impose conditions on registration until it is. Where the declaration was not true — hours claimed for activities not completed — the matter is no longer a CPD question but a conduct one: a false declaration to the regulator is a probity matter, and the Board treats it as such. The practical protection is a contemporaneous record kept through the year, not a reconstruction after the audit letter arrives.
Choosing Ethics Courses That Count Toward Your Renewal
- An assessment you must pass. The assessment is what shows the learning happened; a course that only has to be opened is weaker evidence under the standard.
- A certificate with the detail an audit needs: your name, the course title, the provider, the date of completion and the hours.
- Content written for psychologists under the Board's standards. Relevance to your practice is a requirement of the standard, and a course built on the Psychology Board's Code of conduct for psychologists and the Board's guidelines meets it directly.
- A provider you can name. An audit assesses the evidence, and evidence from an identifiable provider with a dated certificate is evidence that stands on its own.
Key Regulatory Resources for Australian Psychologists on CPD
- Psychology Board of Australia — the CPD registration standard and guidelines, the Code of conduct for psychologists, the endorsement guidelines.
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) — renewal by 30 November, the renewal declarations and the audit process.
- Australian Psychological Society (APS) and Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) — the professional bodies; CPD programs, peer consultation groups and support when a notification arrives.
Related Reading: Australian Psychologists
How to Respond to an Ahpra Notification: A Practical Guide for Australian Psychologists →
Ahpra and Tribunal Disciplinary Process Step-by-Step for Australian Psychologists →
All Ethics Courses for Australian Psychologists →
Ethics CPD that satisfies your renewal and your audit
Online, immediate access, a dated certificate on completion, an assessment you must pass. Written for psychologists under Ahpra and Psychology Board standards: 2 CPD hours a course.
All ethics courses for psychologists →
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours do Australian psychologists need each year?
The Psychology Board of Australia's CPD registration standard asks for a minimum of 30 hours of CPD in each cycle (1 December to 30 November), at least 10 of them peer consultation. A psychologist registered for less than the full cycle completes 2.5 hours for each full month, a third of it peer consultation.
What counts as peer consultation?
Supervision, consultation and discussion with peers about your practice, individually or in a group, recorded with the date, the participants and the hours. Discussing an ethics course and its application to a case with a peer counts, as does a standing supervision arrangement.
Is ethics CPD mandatory for Australian psychologists?
The standard sets hours and the peer consultation share, not topics, and asks that CPD follow a learning plan built on your self-assessment. Ethics and professionalism are relevant to every area of practice because the Board's Code of conduct for psychologists is what a notification is measured against. A psychologist under conditions, or preparing a response to a notification, is often required or advised to complete structured ethics CPD as part of remediation.
How does an online ethics course count under the Psychology Board's standard?
A course with an assessment that you must pass is CPD in the 20-hour part of the standard: a two-hour course is 2 hours. Record it in your portfolio with the title, provider, date and hours, the objective it met and a written reflection, and keep the certificate.
When do Australian psychologists renew their registration?
Psychologists renew by 30 November each year, with a one-month late period. The CPD cycle runs from 1 December to 30 November, so the hours you declare are the ones completed in the cycle just ended.
Do I need a learning plan?
Yes. The standard asks for a plan built on a self-assessment of your skills and knowledge, naming the areas for development and the learning objectives for the cycle, with a written reflection on each activity linked back to it. The plan is part of the portfolio an audit asks for.
What happens if Ahpra audits my CPD?
Ahpra audits a sample of practitioners after renewal. You will be asked for your portfolio for the cycle: the plan, the log, the reflections, the evidence and the peer consultation hours. If the evidence does not support the declaration, the Board can require further CPD, impose conditions, and treat a false declaration as a conduct matter in its own right.
Can ethics CPD completed during an Ahpra notification help the outcome?
It can. A completed, assessed ethics course with a dated certificate is evidence of insight and remediation that the Psychology Board can weigh alongside your written response. It shows engagement with the code you are said to have breached. Attach the certificate to the response and say what you took from the course and what you have changed.
This article is published by Healthcare Ethics Australia for general information. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from your indemnity insurer, professional association or a lawyer about your own matter.