Regulating health practitioner sexual misconduct – a high priority in NSW

The Health Professional Councils Authority (HPCA) and all 15 NSW professional councils have announced a unified approach to managing complaints about health practitioner sexual misconduct.   

Our new policy directive and position statement support a consistent, coordinated approach to defining, assessing and responding to sexual misconduct complaints for all 15 registered health professions in NSW.

Sexual misconduct in the health professions is a focus for both NSW and national regulators.

Changes to legislation effective from April 2026 mean sexual misconduct findings against practitioners in all States and Territories are permanently recorded on the national public register managed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

Australian health ministers sought the changes to increase the transparency needed for informed patient choice.

Our position statement provides a clear commitment to making sure those who engage in sexual misconduct are held accountable.

Sexual misconduct by registered health practitioners is a serious breach of professional standards, a profound betrayal of trust, and an abuse of power that can cause lasting personal harm and weaken public confidence in the entire health system.

This new approach gives Councils guidance on addressing sexual boundary crossing complaints between registered health professionals and patients, healthcare colleagues, supervisors, trainees, volunteers, and students.

It will help Councils assess levels of risk to public safety. It commits both councils and HPCA regulatory teams that support them to being proactive about prevention and taking a trauma-informed approach to complaints.

Everyone seeking healthcare has the right to be treated with dignity and respect without fear of abuse. Taking tough disciplinary action when sexual boundaries are crossed is critical to protecting public safety and maintaining confidence in the health system.

We understand that public conversations around sexual misconduct could cause distress for patients and practitioners.

We urge anyone in distress to seek support and reiterate that having fair and transparent processes, being proactive about prevention, and being trauma informed, are central to the way we handle these complaints.  

In NSW, the Health Care Complaints Commission, health professional councils and the HPCA work together to manage sexual misconduct complaints against registered health practitioners.

• Read our position statementdownload
• For more information on changes to the national register of practitioners visit the Ahpra websiteopen_in_new