Issued February 2023
Background
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) works with the 15 national boards to help protect the public by regulating Australia's registered health practitioners. Medical practitioners are required to be registered with AHPRA and the registration process requires them to complete an application form and provide copies of certified documents.
Honorary Justices Services Support has fielded several enquiries from Justices of the Peace regarding AHPRA’s instructions for certifying applications and the reason for specific wording that is required when signing these forms. The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) has since been able to clarify directly with AHPRA that the reason for the specific wording is so that AHPRA can satisfy its obligations to the third-party agency(ies) that conducts AHPRA’s criminal history checks for prospective registered health practitioners in Australia.
AHPRA acknowledges that their certification arrangements may differ from those often required of Justices of the Peace. However, they have a special responsibility to ensure that all medical practitioners have met the required registration standards and are safe and competent to practice. In this context, AHPRA appreciates the diligence of authorised certifiers in signing applications and recognises they are directly contributing to the safety of health services in Australia.
Advice
Justices of the Peace are to certify documents according to the AHPRA requirements. Documents that are not certified as per these requirements will not be accepted by AHPRA.
It is incumbent upon the person requesting the certification to inform a Justice of the Peace that the documents being certified are for an AHPRA registration or application.
Actions Required
Justices of the Peace are to ensure that they are utilising the correct wording when witnessing documents relating to AHPRA applications and familiarise themselves with the requirements in:
Documents with a photo
‘I certify that this is a true copy of the original and the photograph is a true likeness of the person presenting the document as sighted by me.’
Documents without a photo
‘I have sighted the original document and certify this to be a true copy of the original.’
Support
If you have any questions, please contact Honorary Justice Services Support via email (jp@justice.vic.gov.au) or phone 03 9136 3415
Updated