CPD, recency of practice and insurance in Australia: OT Board and Physiotherapy Board side by side, plus SPA for speech pathologists

Written by Callum Trevorrow. Last checked 28 October 2026 against official sources.

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All three professions need at least 20 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) a year in Australia: OTs and physios under their Ahpra boards, and speech pathologists under Speech Pathology Australia’s (SPA) Certified Practising program. Where they differ is recency of practice, insurance and how long you keep records, and those differences decide what you need to have documented before you arrive.

These standards apply every year once you’re working, but recency also affects whether you can be registered or certified in the first place. I’ve been a senior physio responsible for other clinicians, and I run a multi-site paediatric allied health practice in South East Queensland.

Side by side

	Occupational therapy	Physiotherapy
Who sets it	Occupational Therapy Board of Australia (Ahpra)	Physiotherapy Board of Australia (Ahpra)
CPD	20 hours a year, at least 5 of them interactive	At least 20 hours a year. Part-year registrants: 5 hours for each 3 months remaining
Records	Check the Board’s CPD standard	Keep your CPD records or portfolio for 5 years
Recency of practice	750 hours in the previous 5 years, 450 in the previous 3, or 150 in the previous 12 months	At least 450 hours in the 3 years before the registration period, or 150 hours in the previous registration year
Professional indemnity insurance (PII)	You must not practise without appropriate PII arrangements. Employer cover may only cover work you do for that employer, so check with them; self-employed work needs your own cover. Tell the Board within 7 days if cover lapses. The Board sets no minimum amount	Must suit your level of risk and include run-off cover (in the policy or bought separately). Employer or union cover can count. The Board sets no minimum amount
Audit	Check the Board’s standard	You may be audited
Standard dated	CPD and recency standards effective 1 December 2019	CPD guidelines 2015; recency standard 1 December 2016; PII 1 July 2016

Speech pathology: SPA, not Ahpra, sets CPD (at least 20 hours a year), recency (1,000 hours in 5 years), PII and audit rules for Certified Practising status. The detail is on Certified Practising, not Ahpra.

Recency: the one that matters before you arrive

If you’ve had a career break, recency is the standard to check first.

OTs: the recency standard doesn’t apply to recent graduates applying for first registration from an approved program within 2 years. “Approved program” usually means an Australian one, so don’t assume it covers an overseas degree. If you don’t meet recency, the Board may impose conditions or refuse, and may require assessment, education or supervised practice.
Physios: you declare recency at each renewal, and you may be audited.
Speech pathologists: 1,000 hours in 5 years applies to SPA’s assessment and to CPSP; the re-entry rules are on Certified Practising, not Ahpra.

The OT Board’s standards are under review: recheck before you rely on them

The OT Board is one of 14 National Boards reviewing their recency of practice and CPD registration standards. Public consultation on draft revised standards closed on 17 July 2026. Until new standards are published and take effect, the current ones above apply, but check the OT Board’s registration standards page and the Physiotherapy Board’s site before you plan a CPD year around them, and check the date at the top of this page.

Insurance when you change jobs

For physios, the Board says employer cover can count, but it’s tied to that employer. When you move:

Physios: check your run-off cover. The Board requires PII to include it, either in the policy or bought separately.
OTs: your new employer’s cover may only cover the work you do for them, so ask them what it covers. Any self-employed work needs your own cover. If your cover lapses, tell the Board within 7 days.
Speech pathologists: PII is part of CPSP status, so keep it continuous.

If you’re thinking of contracting or running your own practice, check what insurance each standard needs. See starting a private practice.

What to bring from home

Ask the relevant Australian body how it counts practice hours from overseas for your route. Several home regulators also ask for CPD summaries or employment evidence if you go back. Either way, keep a dated log of hours and CPD from your current role before you leave. See keeping your home registration.

Your next step

OTs: count your practice hours against 750 in 5 years, 450 in 3 or 150 in 1, and check which OT Board route your qualification is on (see Ahpra registration for overseas OTs).
Speech pathologists: count your hours against 1,000 in 5 years, because SPA’s assessment and CPSP both depend on it.
Physios: count your hours against 450 in 3 years, and check which Australian Physiotherapy Council route applies to you (see Express FLYR, FLYR and APEP).

The pathway check below asks those questions in a few minutes and shows which route applies, so you know whether recency is something to sort before you apply.

Related guides

Ahpra registration for overseas occupational therapists: the 3 pathways, fees and EnglishOverseas OTs register through one of 3 OT Board pathways, from A$388 in fees (A$250 + A$138). Which one is yours, by country, plus CORS and English.
Do speech pathologists need Ahpra registration? No: what Certified Practising (CPSP) status means insteadNo: speech pathologists aren't regulated by Ahpra. Employers, Medicare and registered NDIS providers look for Certified Practising (CPSP) status: 20 CPD hours.
Express FLYR, FLYR or APEP: the Australian Physiotherapy Council pathways for overseas physiotherapistsOverseas physios go through the Physiotherapy Council: Express FLYR A$1,742, FLYR A$3,490 or APEP A$8,321. Stages, times and who qualifies, by country.
Keep or drop your home registration when you move to Australia? OT, speech and physio rules by regulatorHCPC renewal is £246.68 for 2 years; CORU is €100 a year. Rules for keeping, pausing or restoring home registration for OTs, speech and physios, by regulator.
Starting a private practice in Australia after you move: ABN, provider numbers, NDIS and insurance for OTs, speech pathologists and physiosAn ABN, a Medicare provider number per location, NDIS registration only if needed, and insurance: what OTs, speech and physios need, plus the visa question.

Sources

Written by Callum Trevorrow, Physiotherapist and founder
Callum Trevorrow is a physiotherapist with experience across public, private and community settings, across the lifespan. He has led a hospital, and now leads a multi-site allied health company that employs overseas staff.
Last checked 28 October 2026. Sources are listed below. How we check.

General information only, not migration or legal advice. Visa advice should come from a registered migration agent (we work alongside them). Registration decisions are made by Ahpra and the professional bodies, not by us. Fees and rules change: check the linked official source before you rely on a figure.