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Psychology training redesign: a single five-year degree
The Psychology Board of Australia consulted on replacing the six-year route to registration with one five-year degree, removing the internship year and the national exam for domestic graduates, and will recommend the change to the federal government.
Status note: Consultation closed 10 June 2026. In September 2026 the Board published its consultation report: it will recommend a five-year accredited degree to the federal government and drop the psychology-assistant role from this reform. Its final report is due to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing in November 2026; the decision rests with the Government.
The stated rationale
The review began on 31 March 2025 at the federal health department's request, framed as a review "to boost access to psychologists" while "maintaining the current high standards of the profession". The Board chair said it would change how people are trained, not the threshold for registration.
What would change
Under the Board’s April 2026 consultation paper, the proposal would:
replace today’s six-year route with one five-year degree at AQF Level 8 leading straight to general registration;
remove the +1 internship, provisional registration and the National Psychology Exam for domestic graduates (removing provisional registration would need a further Board consultation);
move endorsement (for example, clinical) to a standalone two-year part-time master’s, with employers having a greater say in how many endorsed psychologists are trained;
create a possible psychology-assistant exit after three years of study. In September 2026 the Board said it will recommend dropping the assistant role from this reform.
Why it matters
The Board itself calls this a once-in-a-generation reform of psychology training. The question is not whether training could be more efficient, but whether removing the supervised internship and the national exam has been tested. We have found no published evidence on how the new model would affect the competence of new graduates. The APS makes the same point in its submission.
What to watch
The Board’s final report to the federal health department (due November 2026), and the Government’s decision on it. The Board published its consultation report in September 2026 and is publishing submissions progressively.
Whether a psychology-assistant role returns in a later reform. New Zealand has created a registered psychology assistant scope, with a postgraduate qualification required from July 2026.
Placement capacity and funding, which both the APS and AAPi raise as a bottleneck.
Who supports it
APAC, the accreditation council (supports the overall direction of reform)
AAPi sees possible gains in access and training costs, but does not support the AQF Level 8 model
Who has raised concerns
Australian Psychological Society: does "not support the proposed five-year model proceeding in its current form" (safety, the AQF drop, placements, undefined assistant role)
AAPi: concerned about the drop from AQF Level 9 to 8 and its effect on pay, placements, and the lack of an implementation plan
AAPi's summary of the Psychology Board's proposal: a single five-year degree to registration, no internship or national exam for domestic graduates, and a possible assistant exit. AAPi sees access benefits but is concerned about the drop to AQF Level 8.
Why it matters: A plain-English summary of the model the Board consulted on in April 2026. AAPi later said it does not support a five-year AQF Level 8 degree, and in September 2026 the Board said it will drop the assistant exit from the reform.
The APS says it does 'not support the proposed five-year model proceeding in its current form', citing safety, the drop in qualification level, placements, and an undefined assistant role.
Why it matters: The APS's formal, Board-endorsed position on what the Psychology Board calls a once-in-a-generation reform of psychology training.