Social media driving racism and discrimination reports to Ahpra

Last year state and territory health ministers requested that Ahpra and the National Boards carry out a review of the notifications and complaints processes on racism and discrimination, including antisemitism.

They asked Ahpra and the National Boards to identify ways to improve communication of outcomes, data reporting and timeliness of responses.

While just 1.5% of all notifications to Ahpra relate to racism and discrimination, the review found these cases often involved complex or sensitive issues. It cautioned that these cases were likely under-reported, so do not reflect the true prevalence of racism and discrimination in the sector.

Social media was found to be driving an increase in notifications relating to racism and discrimination.

Between July 1, 2023 to February 28, 2026, some 44% of notifications arose from conduct on social media – particularly in relation to antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Ahpra chief executive Justin Untersteiner said people need to know they can raise concerns with the regulator and appropriate action will be taken

“No practitioner should be acting in a way that undermines trust, creates fear or exclusion, or prevents people from seeking or receiving health care,” he said.

Ahpra and the National Boards have committed to strengthening the processes around responding to racism and discrimination based notifications following the review, including adopting definitions and developing internal guidance to support early identification and consistent categorisation of racism and discrimination related issues.

While practitioners have a right to free speech and to enter into professional and public debates, Ahpra has noted if commentary becomes demeaning, denigrating, or directed toward specific members of the community, it may take regulatory action.

Earlier this year Ahpra updated its social media guidance to include examples of situations which could warrant investigation.

However, the guidance acknowledges that there are limited grounds on which the regulator would investigate or consider taking action in regard to a registered practitioner’s social media use.

“Registered practitioners will not be investigated purely for holding or expressing their views on social media,” it reads.

“However, there is no place for discrimination, racism or intolerance in healthcare, including on social media.”

Ahpra reminded practitioners that under their codes of conduct and ethics they must provide care that is free of discrimination and racism, and that social media activity that projects racist or discriminatory views has the potential to impact public safety and risk the public’s confidence in seeking healthcare.

“Regulatory action may be considered if the way a practitioner expresses their views; presents a risk to public safety; provides false or misleading information or breaches privacy or confidentiality; risks the public’s confidence in their profession; or requires action to maintain professional standards,” the guidance states.

While nine out of 10 notifications relating to racism and discrimination did not result in any regulatory action being taken, Ahpra noted this was for various reasons. This included the practitioner involved voluntarily undertaking education, the concerns raised having already been dealt with in another place, or the concerns raised not being substantiated.

Among the steps to improve how notifications and complaints are dealt with, Ahpra is commissioning a dedicated Cultural Safety Evaluation to examine how its notifications system responds to racism affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Ahpra has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism as a reference tool, supported by the handbook released by Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, while work is underway to source a definition of Islamophobia to adopt.

A commitment has also been made to strengthen the notifications process, including improving intake processes, notifier and practitioner correspondence, strengthening the Vexatious Notifications Framework as well as updating Ahpra's risk assessment framework.

The regulator will also trial the use of proactive regulatory tools to monitor racism and discrimination related risks and strengthen its intelligence sharing with other health services and regulators to better understand emerging risks.