Optometry Australia strengthens free legal services for all members

Optometry Australia is strengthening our frontline Optometrist Advisor Help Desk with two key legal services, ensuring all members receive expert legal advice when it matters most.

Staffed by experienced Optometrist Advisors, our Help Desk is a supportive and safe space for all members. Our team can provide a confidential ear and could be your first point of call when you experience a workplace issue, or patient or ethical dilemma.

In 2024 alone, we helped resolve more than 1500 professional queries. More than 95% of members surveyed stated that they value our service and would recommend it to their peers.

Whilst we continue to work towards a robust future for the profession through major sector policy and advocacy work, we remain dedicated in our daily work of supporting individual optometrists.

We can help you workshop or resolve. You are never on your own.

Clinico-legal service

AVANT

We know that receiving a complaint, big or small, can be stressful. That’s why OA members receive no-cost medico-legal assistance whenever required. You have 24/7 access to Avant’s confidential hotline to speak with a qualified lawyer, 365 days of the year. If you have a malpractice complaint or a legal request (from Ahpra, HCCC, a solicitor, employer or patient), you have expert legal support that is away from your employer and our legal assistance is not time limited. Each member is also covered for 50K for court attendance costs, along with criminal and regulatory investigations.

Did you know?

Nearly 4 out of 10 health practitioners (including optometrists) will receive an Ahpra notification in an average 30-year career. The notification can come from a patient or colleague. Although 80-90% of all Ahpra notifications about health practitioners lead to no further action after initial investigation, we know that these situations can be stressful and isolating. Optometrists often feel shame and stigma, which can challenge their professional identity.

Sophie Koh, OA’s Optometrist Advisor who leads the national Help Desk, says, “It’s a myth that good optoms don’t get patient complaints or Ahpra notifications. That call can come anytime”.

How to access

Human Resources (HR) & Workplace Advice

Free HR helpline & support person

Simple misunderstandings or conflicts in the workplace can be daunting, but support is just a phone call or email away. The Optometrist Advisor Help Desk is your first point of call to speak with an experienced optometrist to troubleshoot or workshop difficult conversations and understand your workplace rights and obligations.

We can help you navigate personal workplace matters – from parental leave and discrimination to disciplinary meetings or even termination (and anything else in between).

Whether it’s your first job, or your tenth, you deserve to feel confident in your workplace decisions. That’s why all OA members receive free one-on-one contract reviews – not just once, but throughout your entire career.

Need someone by your side? We also act as your support person at workplace meetings.

Enhanced legal backing with Industry Legal Group (ILG)

Get support from lawyers who know your rights and act. We have strengthened our HR and Workplace and Employment Law Advisory services through expanded partnership with ILG. This ensures members – employees, employers and contractors – have greater access to support at no additional cost.

• Workplace & Employment Law Advice: For complex matters, receive free initial consultations with ILG’s lawyers experienced in optometry-specific employment law. These sessions can help you understand your rights, responsibilities, options in the workplace and take action.
• Legal Drafting: Access to complementary drafting support to assist with your enquiries, including suggested wording for letters, emails, or contract clauses.
• Customisable Locum Contract Templates: Access a free locum agreement template, ideal in cases where the employer engaging you does not provide one.
• Receive Legal Updates: You will receive updates on key changes in employment laws. For example, ILG worked with Optometry Australia to send workplace stand-down advice to our members nationwide, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in QLD more recently, during cyclone Alfred.
• Should you require continued legal support (e.g. someone to act for you in court), ILG offers ongoing representation at exclusive, member-only rates. You will be provided with clear information about how ILG can assist, along with a transparent estimate of legal fees.

Maintaining Confidentiality

To avoid conflicts of interest, if both an employee and employer (who are OA members) seek help on the same issue, one party will be referred to an external agency at no cost.

At a Glance – No-cost HR Services

• Contract advice (one-on-one sessions) throughout your career
• General HR support for employers, employees, and contractors – not time limited.
• Act as your support person for workplace meetings – including pre and post meeting support.
• Initial consultations on complex workplace and employment matters, including legal drafting.
• Locum agreement templates.

We’re Here for You — Optom for Optom

Optometry Australia is committed to empowering optometrists with sector-specific legal and workplace support so you can focus on what you do best.