For CPD and PD providers · Australia and New Zealand · updated 06 Oct 2026
Free recognition for CPD and PD providers in Australia and New Zealand
CPD Council verifies CPD and professional development providers against a public eight-point Standard, free of charge until the register reaches 100 providers. A verified provider gets a public record, a register number and the "Peer reviewed. Verified." mark for certificates and course pages. CPD Council is not a regulator.
- Cost now
- A$0 to apply, A$0 to be listed
- Cost later
- A$1,000 + GST a year after 100 providers, every activity covered
- You get
- Public record, register number, mark and live badge, founding member status
- We check
- Your process and a sample of three activities, against eight standards
- Time
- Decision within 21 days of a complete application
- Valid
- 24 months, then re-verification
Who this is for
Private CPD companies
Nursing, aged care, trades, real estate, migration, finance. A credibility signal that is not self-awarded, in a crowded market.
RTOs selling short PD courses
You already run validation and review, so the Standard is usually easy to meet. Verification gives your PD courses the same checkable record your qualifications have.
Professional associations
An outside check on your member education library, and a public record your members can click.
Employer academies and in-house L&D
A way for internal training to be shown as peer reviewed and current, so it can be counted as CPD by staff.
New Zealand providers
Same Standard, same process, NZBN in place of ABN, reviewers qualified in New Zealand practice. New Zealand page.
Solo trainers, coaches and speakers
Welcome to apply now. A lower solo tier is being decided before any fee begins.
What "recognition" means here, and what it does not
Recognition from CPD Council means a named, independent reviewer has checked that your authoring, peer review, hours, understanding checks, certificates and expiry process meet a published standard, and that the result is on a public record with a date it runs out. It does not mean a regulator has approved your activities, and we do not let members say that it does.
| Route | Who grants it | What it covers | Cost | What you can say |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulator approval | A regulator or college, for one profession (for example OMARA for migration agents, RACGP for GPs) | Activities or providers for that profession's CPD scheme | Set by the regulator | "Approved by [regulator]" |
| Per-activity accreditation | Private bodies such as the Australian Institute of CPD Standards | One activity at a time, re-reviewed on a fee | Verification A$195 to A$395 + GST per activity; accreditation A$495 to A$1,685 + GST per activity; re-review A$245 + GST (published schedule) | "Accredited by [body]" |
| CPD Council verification | CPD Council, with an independent named reviewer | The provider's whole process and every activity it lists, for 24 months | A$0 now; A$1,000 + GST a year after 100 providers | "Verified against the CPD Council Standard", with a link to the record |
Where a regulator approves providers, that approval is the one that counts for registration. Our mark sits beside it and says how the content was made. See what each word claims.
What it takes
- Five itemsYour procedure, your people, three samples with review records, a certificate, your activity list.
- Process reviewA reviewer qualified in your field reads your procedure against the eight standards.
- Sample checkThe three samples are opened and traced through the Standard.
- DecisionMet or Not met on each standard. You can fix and resubmit.
- PublishedYour record, reviewer, dates and mark go live.
Do not have the procedure written down? Most providers do the work but have never documented it. We fill in the application with you on a 20-minute call. Details.
Why it is free now
A register with one entry is not worth checking. A register with a hundred is. The free founding period fills the register with providers who are prepared to be checked, which is what gives the mark its value for everyone on it. We say the fee that comes later in writing at sign-up, so nobody joins under one set of terms and is billed under another.
The first 100 outside providers keep "Founding member" on their record permanently and hold the low register numbers. Related parties, meaning providers connected to anyone on the board or staff, are labelled on their record and do not count toward the 100.
Questions providers ask
Is CPD Council verification really free?
Yes, during the founding period. There is no application fee and no listing fee until the register reaches 100 verified providers. After that, membership is A$1,000 + GST a year, covering every activity a provider publishes. Founding members are told in writing when the register reaches 75.
Is this CPD accreditation?
No. CPD Council verifies a provider's process against a published standard and names the reviewer on a public record. It does not accredit, approve or endorse, and it is not a government regulator. Verified providers say "verified against the CPD Council Standard", never "accredited".
Will my regulator accept verified CPD?
That is the regulator's decision. Most Australian and New Zealand regulators do not approve individual CPD courses; they set hours and relevance rules and leave the quality check to the professional. Where a regulator does approve providers, such as OMARA for migration agents, that approval is what counts and our mark sits alongside it.
Does it cover PD providers for trainers and teachers?
Yes. The Standard applies to any professional development activity for working professionals: courses, webinars, workshops and reading-based activities. RTOs and PD providers serving VET trainers and assessors are a priority group because the 2025 Standards for RTOs require currency without setting hours.
Can New Zealand providers apply?
Yes, from launch. The Standard applies unchanged in New Zealand, NZBN replaces ABN, and reviewers are qualified in New Zealand practice for the profession concerned. New Zealand providers take founding places on the same terms.
Apply
Send the five items, or book the 20-minute call.