Optometrists Registration Board of Victoria II

Full description

Establishment

The Optometrists Registration Board of Victoria was a Statutory Body in the State of Victoria established under the Optometrists Registration Act 1996 (No 56/1996). The Act also established the Optometrists Registration Board Fund of Victoria and repealed the Opticians Registration Act 1958 (No. 6330). It prescribed a register to be called the Register of Optometrists. The Optometrists Registrations Board replaced the Opticians Registration Board (VA 4871).

Formation and Membership of the Board

The 1996 Act provided for a Board of eight members nominated by the Minister and appointed by the Governor in Council. This included five registered optometrists, one lawyer and two persons who were not optometrists.

In 2007 the Board structure changed with the passing of the Health Professions Registration Act 2005. The Act established a board with at least 9 and not more than 12 members, with half of the members to be registered optometrists, 1 lawyer and 3 members who were not optometrists.

Functions

* The Optometrists Registration Act 1996 defined the Board's functions as follows:

* To register persons who complied with the requirements of the Act

* To approve courses which provide qualifications for registration

* To regulate the standards of practice for optometry

* To investigate the professional conduct or fitness to practice of registered optometrists and impose sanctions where necessary, and to issue guidelines about appropriate standards of practice

Abolition
The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria) Act 2009 (No. 79 of 2009) came into operation on 1 July 2010. The purpose of his Act was to provide for the adoption of a national law to establish a national registration and accreditation scheme for health practitioners. The Act prescribed the establishment of 14 new National Boards, 10 of which commenced on 1 July 2010. The National Boards may establish a State or Territory Board, where members are to be appointed by the responsible Minister for the participating jurisdiction.

The Health Professions Registration Act 2005 (No. 97/2005) was amended as a consequence of the enactment of the Health Practitioner Regulation Law (Victoria) Act 2009 (No. 79 of 2009). The piece of legislation that enabled these amendments was the Statute Law Amendment (National Health Practitioner Regulation) Act 2010 (No. 13 of 2010), proclaimed in the Government Gazette on 30 March 2010. The purposes of this Act included the abolition of the Optometrists Registration Board of Victoria II and the removal of any references to this board.