AHPRA Adds Sexual Misconduct Findings to Public Practitioner Registers

AHPRA Adds Sexual Misconduct Findings to Public Practitioner Registers

10 Apr 2026

The update is part of recent “landmark reforms” aimed at improving public safety and transparency. In this first rollout, AHPRA has added extra detail to the register entries of 107 practitioners, including 86 whose registration has already been cancelled.

The information is based on past tribunal findings of professional misconduct involving sexual misconduct. This includes a range of behaviour such as boundary violations, sexual harassment, and criminal offences occurring both inside and outside clinical settings.

While tribunal decisions were previously accessible online, the new update makes it clearly visible on the public register that the case involved sexual misconduct.

The changes apply retrospectively and permanently, covering tribunal decisions dating back to July 2010 under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.

AHPRA CEO Justin Untersteiner said sexual misconduct by practitioners is a serious breach of trust and must be visible to the public so patients can make informed choices about their care.

He said the reforms ensure that such breaches are not hidden and reinforce accountability within the health system.

RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said transparency is important for patient safety and trust, but also raised concerns about how long such information should remain permanently on public registers.

He said doctors support accountability, but suggested there may be a case for time-limited publication in some situations.

AHPRA also confirmed that people with past findings who are no longer registered will face stricter checks if they apply to return to practice.

The reforms also follow new protections introduced in December last year, making it an offence to retaliate against people who report concerns or to use non-disclosure agreements to block investigations.

More information is available through the AHPRA website.

https://www1.racgp.org.au/

Source: Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), newsGP

 
 
 
 

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