Insurables — Australian business risk, sourced and dated

Psychologists: insurance and scheme requirements

Registered psychological assessment and therapy.

Data as at

Required by law or licence

  • Licence liability condition: Yes — and this is the sharpest contrast on the site. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step — the strongest form this requirement takes anywhere on this site, and the direct opposite of the position in most licensed trades, where no insurance condition attaches to the licence at all. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard describing what is required for its profession, so the detail is board-specific even though the underlying prohibition is common. NSW · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration. Ahpra asks the practitioner to declare, on applying, that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard and will not practise without arrangements in place. Boards can then require evidence on audit. The mechanism is a declaration backed by audit rather than a certificate filed up front. NSW · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. This is a NATIONAL scheme rather than a New South Wales one: registration is held nationally and the same standard applies in every state and territory. New South Wales is a co-regulatory jurisdiction, which changes how complaints are handled, not whether registration and its standards apply. NSW · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence liability condition: Yes. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard for its profession, and the standard applies in Victoria exactly as it does everywhere else — this is one of the few occupational insurance requirements in Australia that genuinely does not change at a state border. VIC · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration — the practitioner declares on applying that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard. Boards can then require evidence on audit. VIC · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. Registration is NATIONAL: it is held once and recognised in every state and territory, so practising in Victoria does not require a separate VIC registration and moving there does not require re-registering. VIC · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence liability condition: Yes. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard for its profession, and the standard applies in Queensland exactly as it does everywhere else — this is one of the few occupational insurance requirements in Australia that genuinely does not change at a state border. QLD · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration — the practitioner declares on applying that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard. Boards can then require evidence on audit. QLD · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. Registration is NATIONAL: it is held once and recognised in every state and territory, so practising in Queensland does not require a separate QLD registration and moving there does not require re-registering. QLD · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence liability condition: Yes. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard for its profession, and the standard applies in Western Australia exactly as it does everywhere else — this is one of the few occupational insurance requirements in Australia that genuinely does not change at a state border. WA · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration — the practitioner declares on applying that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard. Boards can then require evidence on audit. WA · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. Registration is NATIONAL: it is held once and recognised in every state and territory, so practising in Western Australia does not require a separate WA registration and moving there does not require re-registering. WA · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence liability condition: Yes. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard for its profession, and the standard applies in South Australia exactly as it does everywhere else — this is one of the few occupational insurance requirements in Australia that genuinely does not change at a state border. SA · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration — the practitioner declares on applying that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard. Boards can then require evidence on audit. SA · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. Registration is NATIONAL: it is held once and recognised in every state and territory, so practising in South Australia does not require a separate SA registration and moving there does not require re-registering. SA · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence liability condition: Yes. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard for its profession, and the standard applies in Tasmania exactly as it does everywhere else — this is one of the few occupational insurance requirements in Australia that genuinely does not change at a state border. TAS · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration — the practitioner declares on applying that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard. Boards can then require evidence on audit. TAS · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. Registration is NATIONAL: it is held once and recognised in every state and territory, so practising in Tasmania does not require a separate TAS registration and moving there does not require re-registering. TAS · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence liability condition: Yes. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard for its profession, and the standard applies in the Australian Capital Territory exactly as it does everywhere else — this is one of the few occupational insurance requirements in Australia that genuinely does not change at a state border. ACT · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration — the practitioner declares on applying that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard. Boards can then require evidence on audit. ACT · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. Registration is NATIONAL: it is held once and recognised in every state and territory, so practising in the Australian Capital Territory does not require a separate ACT registration and moving there does not require re-registering. ACT · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence liability condition: Yes. Ahpra's published position is that "a registered health practitioner must not practise the profession in which they are registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements (PII arrangements) are in force in relation to their practice". That is a prohibition on practising, not a paperwork step. Each National Board publishes its own PII arrangements registration standard for its profession, and the standard applies in the Northern Territory exactly as it does everywhere else — this is one of the few occupational insurance requirements in Australia that genuinely does not change at a state border. NT · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licence evidence required: At application and at every annual renewal, by declaration — the practitioner declares on applying that they will not practise without PII arrangements in place, and each year on renewal that they practised in accordance with their National Board's PII registration standard. Boards can then require evidence on audit. NT · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24
  • Licensing body: The Psychology Board of Australia, a National Board under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, supported by Ahpra. Registration is NATIONAL: it is held once and recognised in every state and territory, so practising in the Northern Territory does not require a separate NT registration and moving there does not require re-registering. NT · effective 2010-07-01 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency · 2026-08-24

Cover commonly held

Ordered by how central each cover is to this occupation. This is what businesses in the trade commonly hold and what contracts commonly ask for — it is not a statement that any of it is legally required, and it is not a recommendation.

  • Professional indemnity insurance — Cover for legal liability arising from professional advice or services, written on a claims-made basis.
  • Public liability insurance — Cover for legal liability to third parties for personal injury or property damage arising from business activities.
  • Medical malpractice insurance — Cover for liability arising from clinical treatment and healthcare services, usually written alongside professional indemnity.
  • Workers compensation insurance — Statutory cover for injury to workers, arranged through each state or territory scheme rather than on the open market.
  • Cyber liability insurance — Cover for the costs of a data breach or cyber incident, including response, restoration and third-party liability.
  • Business pack insurance — A packaged policy combining property, liability and interruption sections for small business.
  • Management liability insurance — Cover for company and director exposures such as employment practices, statutory liability and defence costs.

Statutory schemes that can apply

Checking what you hold

The document a principal, a landlord or a licensing team will ask for is a certificate of currency. The checker reads one and lists what it does and does not show.

Sources