Man fined for working as a podiatrist without registration
A Gold Coast man has been fined $3000 and ordered to pay legal costs of $1500 after working as a podiatrist for more than a year after his registration lapsed. The man was prosecuted by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) for holding himself out as a podiatrist when he was not registered, in contravention of section 116 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law 2009 (National Law).
Having previously been a registered podiatrist, who owned a private podiatry business that employed three other registered podiatrists, the man did not renew his registration and became unregistered on 1 January 2022 despite receiving multiple reminders from Ahpra towards the end of 2021. While unregistered, he continued to practise and see patients until 24 February 2023.
He provided treatment to patients on an estimated 200 occasions, the majority of these being residents of a private aged care facility. There is no suggestion the practitioner caused any harm to any patient. On 12 May 2025, the man pleaded guilty to one count of holding himself out as a registered health practitioner.
The man was told by Magistrate Lisa O’Neill that “the onus for ensuring registration falls to you, and you are a more experienced practitioner and should know better”. Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner emphasised the importance of maintaining registration: “Renewing your registration each year shows the public that you can continue to meet the standards of your profession and provide the safe and effective care expected by the people in Australia,” Untersteiner said.
The outcome was welcomed by the Podiatry Board of Australia. “People place their trust in podiatrists, and we do the checks and balances to ensure that this trust is met,” Board Chair Dr Kristy Robson said. “Not only as a podiatrist, but as an employer of other registered health practitioners, the importance of renewing your registration should be clear.”
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