The CPD Council Standard, as a booklet

Title

CPD Council Standard

Version

1.0

Published

05 October 2026

In force

From publication

Applies in

Australia and New Zealand, unchanged

Next review

October 2027, with public comment

Document

CC-STD-1.0

Online

cpdcouncil.com.au/standard/v1

Contents

1. Foreword: someone else checked it4
2. How to read this Standard5
3. CS 1 Audience and outcomes6
4. CS 2 Honest CPD time7
5. CS 3 Qualified author8
6. CS 4 Peer review before publishing9
7. CS 5 Accountable use of AI10
8. CS 6 Learner understanding11
9. CS 7 Checkable certificate12
10. CS 8 Currency and re-review13
11. How a provider is verified14
12. Rules for using the mark15
13. Versions and limits16

Someone else checked it.

Most professionals in Australia and New Zealand must complete CPD. Very few can tell, before they pay, whether a course was checked by anyone other than the person selling it.

This Standard asks for one thing above all: that a second qualified person reads every activity before it is published, and that the provider can show it. The other seven standards make that check meaningful, from honest hours to a certificate anyone can look up.

Each standard has three parts

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.

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.

Written by someone qualified.

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

• The record names the author for each activity.
• Experience is current: the author works in, or recently worked in, the field.

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.

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 (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.

Check that the learner understood.

Each activity ends with a check of understanding matched to its outcomes: 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.

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.

• The number can be looked up by the provider when asked.
• Where the activity is verified, the mark links to the provider's record.

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.

How a provider is verified

1. 1
   Process reviewA reviewer qualified in the provider's field reads its written procedures against the eight standards.
2. 2
   Sample checkAt least three activities are opened and traced through every standard.
3. 3
   DecisionEach standard is Met or Not met, with the evidence examined. All eight must be met.
4. 4
   RecordThe result is published with the reviewer's name and declaration, and the date it runs out.
5. 5
   Re-verificationEvery 24 months, on a fresh sample.

The reviewer has no employment, contract or financial interest in the provider. Anyone connected to a provider takes no part in decisions about it.

Rules for using the mark

1. 1The mark always links to the provider's own record.
2. 2It appears only on verified activities, and comes off within 14 days of one expiring.
3. 3Say "verified against the CPD Council Standard". Never "accredited", "government approved" or "regulator endorsed".
4. 4Do not recolour, stretch or rebuild it.