What Is CPD and How Many Hours Do You Need in Australia?

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

For professionals working in Australia, CPD is rarely optional. Most professional bodies and regulators mandate a minimum number of CPD hours as a condition of maintaining registration, membership or licensure. The specific requirements vary by profession, but the structure is broadly consistent: a set number of hours over a rolling three‑year period, with minimum annual thresholds and requirements to record and evidence your activities. This article explains how CPD works in Australia, what the major professions require and how to make your CPD investment count.

How CPD works in Australia

Australian CPD requirements are set by individual professional bodies and regulators, not by a single national framework. Each profession determines how many hours are required, what types of activities qualify, how activities should be recorded and how compliance is audited. Despite this variation, the structure across professions follows a common pattern. Credentials Australia notes that the fundamental principle behind CPD is that initial qualification alone is not sufficient for a career that may span decades: knowledge evolves, practices change, regulations are updated and new technologies emerge.

Most professional bodies operate on a rolling triennium (three‑year cycle) with both a total hour requirement and a minimum annual threshold to prevent members from concentrating all their CPD into a single year. Activities typically need to be relevant to the member’s professional role, and many bodies require a proportion of hours to be in specific categories such as ethics, technical competence or regulatory knowledge.

CPD requirements across Australian professions

The number of hours required vary significantly across professions, but a few benchmarks are worth knowing for context.

CPA Australia requires its members to complete 120 hours of CPD over a rolling three‑year period, with a minimum of 20 hours in any single year. Activities must be relevant to the member’s professional role. Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) has a similar requirement of 120 hours over three years. Both bodies require a mandatory ethics component within the total.

Engineers Australia requires Chartered members to complete 150 hours of structured CPD over three years, with a minimum of 30 hours in any single year. At least 50 of those hours must be in engineering practice activities, with the remainder available for related areas such as project management, risk management, ethics and communication. For engineers registered under state and territory registration schemes, CPD is a condition of maintaining registration.

Legal practitioners in most Australian states and territories must complete 10 CPD units per year (equivalent to 10 hours), with mandatory components in ethics, professional skills and practice management. Financial advisers must complete CPD annually across categories defined by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), including technical competence, client care, regulatory knowledge and professionalism.

The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) requires members to maintain CPD as a condition of retaining their chartered status (MCIPS). The Tribal Habits 2026 guide to CPD management notes that accounting bodies, engineering bodies, law societies and health regulators all operate structured CPD frameworks, and that consultancies and government agencies often mirror these standards internally to verify expertise across their teams.

What counts as CPD

CPD is broader than most people assume. It is not limited to sitting in a classroom or completing an online course. Most professional bodies recognise four categories of activity.

Formal learning includes structured courses, workshops, seminars, conferences and accredited qualifications. These are the most straightforward to document and typically carry the highest CPD weighting. A one‑day procurement workshop or a two‑day project management course would fall into this category.

Informal learning includes professional reading (journals, industry reports, relevant books), listening to professional podcasts, participating in webinars and engaging in structured peer discussion groups. Many professionals undercount their informal learning because they do not think to record it, even though it often represents a significant portion of their actual development.

Workplace learning includes mentoring (as a mentor or mentee), coaching, on‑the‑job projects that develop new skills, secondments, job rotations and participating in cross‑functional working groups. This category recognises that much of the most valuable professional development happens through doing the work itself, not just studying it.

Teaching and presenting includes delivering training sessions, presenting at conferences, writing articles for professional publications and contributing to the development of professional standards or guidelines. Teaching is widely recognised as one of the most effective forms of learning, because preparing to explain a topic to others forces deeper understanding.

Common mistakes with CPD

The most common mistake is leaving CPD until the final months of a triennium. Professionals who concentrate their hours into a rush at the end of the cycle tend to choose whatever is available and convenient rather than what is genuinely relevant to their development. The result is compliance without learning, which defeats the purpose. Spreading CPD across the full three years and planning it around real development needs produces better outcomes for both the individual and their employer.

A second error is poor record‑keeping. Professional bodies audit CPD compliance, and members who cannot produce evidence of their activities risk sanctions ranging from additional reporting requirements to suspension of membership or registration. Good practice is to record each activity as you complete it, noting the date, provider, topic, hours and the category it falls under. Most professional bodies now provide online portals for this purpose, and there is no reason to leave recording until the end of the year.

A third mistake is treating CPD as purely a compliance obligation rather than an investment in capability. Professionals who approach CPD strategically, choosing activities that address genuine skill gaps, prepare them for future roles or expose them to new thinking in their field, get far more value from the same number of hours. The question should not be “what is the easiest way to get my hours?” but “what would make the biggest difference to my effectiveness over the next twelve months?”

CPD in the Australian public sector

CPD carries particular relevance in the Australian public sector, where capability development is embedded in agency workforce strategies and increasingly linked to professional accreditation requirements. The Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) operates accreditation frameworks that require procurement professionals to demonstrate ongoing development. State and territory governments have their own capability frameworks that set expectations for staff at each level to maintain and develop their skills.

For managers responsible for team development, CPD is also a practical tool for building organisational capability. Investing in CPD that aligns with strategic priorities, whether that is procurement reform, digital transformation, financial management or leadership development, creates a workforce that can deliver on the priorities of the agency rather than relying on external consultants or ad hoc skill development.

Making your CPD investment count

The value of CPD depends on what you choose to invest in. AcademyGlobal (AG) has been delivering professional development for public, private and not‑for‑profit organisations across Australia since 2004. AG’s programs span procurement, contract management, project management, finance, negotiation, leadership and risk management. AG is the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Centre of Excellence for Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, and its workshops and qualifications are designed to count toward CPD obligations across multiple professional frameworks.

AG’s Professional Development Vouchers make it straightforward for individuals and organisations to invest in CPD that addresses real capability gaps. Vouchers can be applied across AG’s full range of workshops, from one‑day practical courses to multi‑module programs, giving professionals the flexibility to choose the development that is most relevant to their role and career goals. For organisations looking to support their team’s CPD in a structured and cost‑effective way, vouchers provide a simple mechanism to allocate training budgets and track investment in capability.

Frequently asked questions

What is CPD?

Continuing professional development (CPD) is the ongoing process of maintaining and developing the knowledge, skills and capabilities needed to perform effectively in a professional role. It extends beyond initial qualifications and covers formal courses, workplace learning, mentoring, professional reading and other development activities.

How many CPD hours do I need in Australia?

It depends on your profession. CPA Australia and CA ANZ require 120 hours over three years (minimum 20 per year). Engineers Australia requires 150 hours over three years (minimum 30 per year). Legal practitioners in most states need 10 CPD units per year. Check your professional body’s specific requirements, as categories and minimum thresholds vary.

What activities count as CPD?

Most professional bodies recognise formal learning (courses, workshops, conferences), informal learning (professional reading, podcasts, webinars), workplace learning (mentoring, on‑the‑job projects, secondments) and teaching or presenting. Activities must typically be relevant to your professional role.

Do I need to keep records of my CPD?

Yes. Professional bodies audit CPD compliance and members must be able to produce evidence of completed activities, including dates, providers, topics, hours and categories. Most bodies provide online portals for recording CPD. Poor record‑keeping can result in additional reporting requirements or sanctions.

Can short courses and workshops count toward CPD requirements?

Yes. Short courses, workshops, seminars and conferences are among the most common forms of CPD activity. AcademyGlobal’s Professional Development Vouchers can be applied across AG’s full range of programs, providing flexible CPD that counts toward professional body requirements.

References

1. CPA Australia, ‘Continuing Professional Development’. Available at: cpaaustralia.com.au

2. Credentials Australia (2026), ‘Continuing Professional Development in Australia: What You Need to Know’. Available at: credentials.com.au

3. Tribal Habits (2026), ‘The 2026 Guide to CPD Training Management in Australia & NZ’. Available at: tribalhabits.com

4. Engineers Australia, Continuing Professional Development requirements. Referenced via Credentials Australia (2026).

5. Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), CPD requirements for MCIPS members. Referenced via AcademyGlobal CIPS Study Centre.