Redesigning the psychology higher education pathway

The usual pathway to becoming a psychologist today is five years of study plus a one-year supervised internship, known as the 5+1. It finishes at Masters level, which is level 9 on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

The Psychology Board of Australia proposed replacing it with a single five-year qualification at AQF level 8, the level of an Honours degree. The supervised internship year, the national psychology exam and provisional registration would go. The proposal also includes a new psychology assistant role.

The changes are meant to help grow the psychology workforce, which is well short of what Australia needs.

We wrote as a practice that supervises provisional psychologists through the current 5+1 pathway. We have no commercial stake in the qualification level, only an interest in well-prepared psychologists joining our team.

See also our pre-Budget submission on funding needs for mental health, which asked for more university places for psychologists.

We support a single pathway. We opposed the design as drafted.

• Keep the standard at Masters level. Dropping to AQF 8 would lower the qualification of a profession that diagnoses conditions and assesses suicide risk. Other health professions, like medicine and pharmacy, have moved up, not down.
• Replace the internship properly. If the internship year goes, new psychologists should complete a 12-month program run by an external body, with supervision in the workplace. The external body, not the workplace, should sign off that they are ready.
• Keep a national exam. A national knowledge exam gives every new psychologist the same minimum standard.
• Take the assistant role out for now. Its scope is still unclear, so it should be worked through as separate policy work.
• Grow the workforce another way. We suggested six options: paid clinical placements, properly funded university places, scholarships in return for working in shortage areas, funded supervision, support for culturally diverse and First Nations students, and faster recognition of psychologists trained overseas.

The consultation ran from 15 April to 10 June 2026 and received about 2,500 responses. In September 2026 the Board published a consultation report. It says the Board will recommend to the Government:

• Qualification. That the qualification for general registration is a five-year accredited program. The report says it is for higher education providers (or TEQSA) to set a degree’s AQF level.
• Psychology assistants. That the psychology assistant role is removed from the current reform.
• Provisional registration. The Board would need to consult separately before removing it, if the Government supports the model.

The Board is finalising its recommendations for the Government. A final report is due to go to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing at the end of the project.