The Mutual Recognition Principle (MRP) is established under the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (Cth) [the MR Act] and has been adopted by all Australian State and Territory Governments. The MRP is established to improve occupational mobility across Australia for those registered or licenced to work in a certain profession. Under the MRP, registration for an occupation in the first State is sufficient grounds for obtaining registration in the second state, following notification to the second state. The teaching profession is one of the occupations subject to the provisions within the MR Act.
In August 2020, the Australian Government announced that the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments had agreed to introduce a uniform scheme for Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) of occupational registrations, subject to the passage of legislation, as part of a broader set of regulatory reforms to assist Australia’s economic recovery. AMR is designed to allow a person who is licenced or registered for an occupation in one jurisdiction to be considered registered to perform the same activities in another jurisdiction, without the need for further application processes or additional registration fees. It is intended that the AMR scheme will apply to registrations currently covered by existing mutual recognition arrangements, including the teaching profession. People utilising AMR do not become registered in the second state, but rather practice in that state under their home registration. AMR is designed to be used by those intending on temporarily becoming residents of the second state, whilst maintaining primary residence in the state where their substantive registration is held.
The Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill 2020 (the Bill) was developed at the end of 2020 which provides for the AMR scheme. The Teacher Registration Board of the Northern Territory (the Board) made a submission as part of the stakeholder consultation on the Bill and the proposed AMR scheme. The submission considers the policy and legislative provisions that apply to the proposed scheme of AMR within the Bill and the effect this scheme will have on the teaching profession in the Northern Territory.
In its’ submission, the Board identifies serious implications of the AMR scheme for the safety of children, the quality of the teaching profession and the educational outcomes for children and young people in the Northern Territory. The Board considers that the teaching profession should not be subject to the AMR provisions and the Board is advocating for the teaching profession to be exempt from the AMR provisions. This will ensure the integrity of the national agenda to improve child safety and quality educational outcomes is preserved, and will avoid the need for individual jurisdictions to seek individual exemption from the application of the AMR provisions.
Please find the Board’s submission below:
