Entries for the 2026 Professor Peter Swann Photography Prize competition are invited between 20 May and 5 July 2026. The prize celebrates outstanding ocular images and honours the legacy of Professor Peter Swann, who was a faculty member at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for over 37 years.
Nominations are now open for the inaugural Optometry Queensland Northern Territory’s Optometrist of the Year and Rising Star Awards. These Awards shine a light on OQNT members who go above and beyond for their patients, peers, and profession. Nominations close 7 June 2026.
Optometry practices across Queensland that provide services to children must now comply with the Child Safe Standards introduced under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024, which came into effect on 1st January 2026. Most optometry practices will be captured by the new requirements if they see children as patients, even occasionally.
As optometry evolves, keeping up with new knowledge is essential, particularly understanding how to apply that new knowledge into clinical practice. That’s where interactive, case-based CPD comes in. Unlike traditional lecture-style learning, case-based education places optometrists in realistic clinical scenarios.
Recent changes to Queensland driver licence medical forms have raised concerns among optometrists, particularly around the visibility of optometry within the driving assessment process.
Optometrists in the Northern Territory will soon have hands-on, practical professional development closer to home, with Optometry Queensland and Northern Territory (OQNT) hosting Darwin Interactive (18-19 April 2026): a boutique, face-to-face CPD conference delivering case-based learning through immersive clinical sessions and peer discussion.
Optometry Queensland Northern Territory (OQNT) recently met with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) to seek clarification on the changes to the Medical Certificate for Motor Vehicle Driver Form F3712 and to reinforce the critical role of optometrists in assessing visual fitness to drive.
OQNT was thrilled to support QUT Master of Optometry student Olivia Almond, who completed her rural placement in Yeppoon and Rockhampton. Here’s her reflection on the experience.
In 2024, OQNT launched its inaugural Rural Student Placement Scholarship to support local optometry students to undertake a rural placement opportunity in either Queensland or the Northern Territory. OQNT is excited to continue the program in 2026, applications for which are now open.
Optometry Australia welcomes the announcement of the Healthy Kindy Kids program, established as part of the 2025 State Budget by Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, the Honourable Tim Nicholls MP. This landmark initiative will provide free health checks, including vision screening, for up to 60,000 kindy-aged children across Queensland, helping to ensure that potential health and developmental issues are identified early.
In the spirit of reconciliation Optometry Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
