CPD Council Get verified
Version 1.0, in force from 5 October 2026

The Standard

Eight standards. Each one is a sentence a learner can understand and a provider can prove. They apply to every kind of CPD activity, from courses and webinars to articles.

Download the Standard Read the eight rules
ContentsCS 1 Audience and outcomesCS 2 Honest CPD timeCS 3 Qualified authorCS 4 Peer reviewCS 5 Accountable use of AICS 6 Learner understandingCS 7 Checkable certificateCS 8 Currency and re-review Standard, version 1.0 Eight plain rules for CPD you can check. CPD Council, Australia and New Zealand
Published
5 October 2026
Applies in
Australia and New Zealand
Next public review
October 2027
Supersedes
None. First edition.
01

Say who it is for and what it teaches

Each activity names its audience and lists what a learner will know or be able to do afterwards.

  • Outcomes are written before the content, not after.
  • Outcomes use plain verbs: explain, apply, identify, decide.
Evidence examinedActivity pages for the sampled activities. Outcomes compared with content and the end-of-activity questions.
02

State honest CPD time

Each activity shows its CPD hours or points, based on how long it takes a typical learner to complete.

  • Time includes reading, watching and the understanding check.
  • If a regulator sets its own point rules, the provider says how the hours convert.
Evidence examinedThe provider’s timing method. Sampled hours compared with word counts, video length and question count.
03

Written by someone qualified

The author has qualifications or current experience in the subject, and the provider keeps a record of it.

Evidence examinedAuthor register with qualifications or role, matched to the sampled activities.
04

Peer reviewed before it is published

A second qualified person, who is not the author, reviews the activity for accuracy, currency and fit with the stated outcomes. Nothing is published until the review is signed off.

  • The reviewer’s name, the date and any changes requested are recorded.
  • The author cannot review their own work.
Evidence examinedWritten review procedure. Reviewer qualifications. Review records for each sampled activity, with the sign-off date compared to the publication date.
05

Accountable use of AI

AI tools may be used to help draft, structure or illustrate content. A qualified human still owns every claim in it.

  • AI-assisted content goes through the same peer review as any other content (CS 4) before publishing.
  • The reviewer checks facts, references and regulatory statements against primary sources.
  • The provider, not the tool, is responsible for what is published.
Evidence examinedThe provider’s AI-use statement. References in sampled activities opened and confirmed to exist and to say what is claimed.
06

Check that the learner understood

Each activity ends with a check of understanding matched to its outcomes. This can be a quiz, a short assessment or reflection questions.

  • For an article, two or three reflection questions are enough.
  • A certificate is issued only after the check is completed.
Evidence examinedThe check on each sampled activity, matched to the stated outcomes. Confirmation that the certificate is gated on completion.
07

Issue a certificate that can be checked

The certificate shows the learner’s name, the activity title, CPD hours, completion date, the provider, and a unique certificate number.

Evidence examinedA sample certificate. The provider’s method for looking a number up when asked.
08

Keep it current

Each activity carries a review date. It is re-reviewed at least every 24 months, and sooner if the law, a regulator’s rules or accepted practice changes.

  • An activity past its date is withdrawn or re-reviewed. It is not left on sale.
Evidence examinedThe activity list with review and expiry dates. What happens to an expired activity, traced on one example.
What verification does not mean

We are not a government regulator.

Verification confirms that a provider's process meets this Standard. It does not mean a regulator such as Ahpra, ASQA, OMARA or a New Zealand responsible authority has approved the activity, and it does not replace any approval those bodies require. Professionals should confirm what their own regulator accepts.

Method

How a provider is verified

Process, then sample

We read the provider's written procedures, then open at least three activities and trace each one through the eight standards. The process is what is verified, and the sample tests that it is followed.

Who reviews

A reviewer qualified in the provider's field, with no employment or financial relationship with the provider. Their name is published on the record.

Result

Each standard is recorded as Met or Not met with the evidence examined. All eight must be met. A provider that misses one is told what is missing and may resubmit.

Duration

Verification lasts 24 months. Re-verification looks at a fresh sample. A verification that is not renewed comes off the register and the mark is withdrawn within 14 days.

Removal

A verified provider can be suspended or removed after a complaint is upheld, or if a sample check fails. How to report a concern

Rules for using the mark

CPD COUNCILPeer reviewed.
Verified.
  1. 1The mark always links to the provider's own record.
  2. 2It appears only on activities listed as verified. It comes off within 14 days of an activity expiring.
  3. 3Providers say "verified against the CPD Council Standard". They do not say "accredited", "government approved" or "regulator endorsed".
  4. 4The mark is not recoloured, stretched or rebuilt. Files are supplied in the brand kit.

Change log

  1. 05 Oct 2026Current

    v1.0 published

    First edition. Eight standards, four mark rules and the verification method.

  2. Oct 2027Scheduled

    First public review

    Comment period open to members, regulators, professional bodies and the public. Proposed changes are published with at least 90 days' notice to members.