Every registered physiotherapist in Australia declares at renewal that the Physiotherapy Board of Australia's continuing professional development standard has been met. The standard is one of the simpler ones — 20 hours a year and a portfolio — 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.
Physiotherapy Board of Australia CPD Requirements at a Glance
The Physiotherapy Board's registration standard and its CPD guidelines, both in force since 1 December 2015, ask for a minimum of 20 hours of CPD each year, kept in a CPD portfolio. The registration period runs from 1 December to 30 November; registration is renewed by 30 November. A physiotherapist who registers part-way through the period completes 5 hours for every three months remaining.
| What the standard asks | Minimum each year | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Any CPD relevant to your practice | 20 hours | Assessed courses, workshops, conferences, clinical supervision, structured reading with reflection, in-service training with new learning |
| The portfolio | Kept through the year | Your learning goals, the activities completed with evidence, and what each changed in your practice |
The standard sets no categories and no topics: the test is that the activity is relevant to your practice and improves it, and that the portfolio shows both.
An assessed two-hour ethics course is 2 hours toward the 20. Australian Physiotherapists can see the ethics and professionalism courses written for physiotherapists that count under the standard.
Planning CPD Around Your Scope of Practice
The Board's guidelines describe a cycle: identify what your practice needs, plan the activities that meet it, complete them, and reflect on what changed. A short written plan at the start of the period names your scope of practice — private musculoskeletal practice, hospital, aged care, sports or pelvic health, a practice owner's responsibilities — the learning needs you have identified and the activities you intend to complete. The plan is the first page of the portfolio an audit asks for.
Ethics and professionalism belong in that plan for every scope of practice. The shared Code of conduct, in effect since 29 June 2022, and the Board's guidelines are what a notification about consent in ongoing treatment, a boundary in a hands-on profession, treatment that went on too long, delegation to an assistant or a record is measured against, and CPD that covers them 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 under the standard, logged in hours: a two-hour course is 2 hours toward the 20. 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 learning goal the course met and a line on what changed in your practice.
For a physiotherapist 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, length of care, delegation — is evidence of insight and remediation that the Physiotherapy 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 physiotherapist 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, and it is what an audit asks for. For each activity, record:
- The learning goal it served, from your plan.
- The date, title, provider and hours.
- The evidence: the certificate, the attendance record, the assessment result, or the references for structured reading.
- A line of reflection on what the activity changed in your practice.
The Board asks you to keep the portfolio and the records for five years; you may be asked to produce them if 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 period and the certificates or records behind each entry. 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 Physiotherapy 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 physiotherapists under the Board's standards. Relevance to your practice is a requirement of the standard, and a course built on the shared Code of conduct 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 Physiotherapists on CPD
- Physiotherapy Board of Australia — the CPD registration standard and guidelines (1 December 2015), the audit-readiness guidance, the shared Code of conduct.
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) — renewal by 30 November, the renewal declarations and the audit process.
- Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) — the professional body; CPD programs and support when a notification arrives.
Related Reading: Australian Physiotherapists
How to Respond to an Ahpra Notification: A Practical Guide for Australian Physiotherapists →
Ahpra and Tribunal Disciplinary Process Step-by-Step for Australian Physiotherapists →
All Ethics Courses for Australian Physiotherapists →
Ethics CPD that satisfies your renewal and your audit
Online, immediate access, a dated certificate on completion, an assessment you must pass. Written for physiotherapists under Ahpra and Physiotherapy Board standards: 2 CPD hours a course.
All ethics courses for physiotherapists →
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours do Australian physiotherapists need each year?
The Physiotherapy Board of Australia's CPD registration standard asks for a minimum of 20 hours of CPD each year, relevant to your practice and recorded in a CPD portfolio. A physiotherapist who registers part-way through the period completes 5 hours for every three months remaining.
Are there categories or mandatory topics?
No. The standard sets 20 hours and a portfolio; the test is that each activity is relevant to your practice and improves it. The Board's guidelines describe the cycle of identifying a need, planning, completing and reflecting.
Is ethics CPD mandatory for Australian physiotherapists?
The standard sets hours, not topics. Ethics and professionalism are relevant to every scope of practice because the shared Code of conduct and the Board's guidelines are what a notification is measured against. A physiotherapist 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 Physiotherapy Board's standard?
A course with an assessment that you must pass is CPD under the standard: a two-hour course is 2 hours toward the 20. Record it in your portfolio with the title, provider, date and hours, the goal it met and a line on what changed, and keep the certificate.
When do Australian physiotherapists renew their registration?
Physiotherapists renew by 30 November each year, with a one-month late period. The registration period runs from 1 December to 30 November, so the hours you declare are the ones completed in the period just ended.
What goes in the CPD portfolio?
Your learning goals for the period, each activity with its date, title, provider and hours, the evidence behind it, and a reflection on what it changed in your practice. The Board asks you to keep it for five years.
What happens if Ahpra audits my CPD?
Ahpra audits a sample of practitioners after renewal. You will be asked for your portfolio for the period and the evidence behind each entry. 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 Physiotherapy 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.