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Fees

The Teacher Registration Board has introduced a new fee structure for the payment of registration fees.

As of 31 March 2009, the annual teacher registration fee for teachers in the Northern Territory has increased from $60.00 to $75.00. Currently registered teachers or teachers currently employed under authorisation will not pay the fee increase until their registration renewal falls due.

This is the first increase in teacher registration fees since they were first set in 2004. The new annual fee is set for three years to March 2012.

Applicants who apply for registration after 31 March 2009 will be subject to the new fee structure as follows:

  • Initial registration fees

    • For new applicants who are CDU or BIITE graduates $75.00
    • For new applicants under the Mutual Recognition principle $105.00
    • For all other new applicants $115.00

Applicants who apply to renew their registration after 31 March 2009 will be subject to the new fee structure as follows:

  • Annual registration fee (renewal) $75.00

Employers who apply for authorisation to employ an unregistered person as a teacher after 31 March 2009 will be subject to the new fee structure as follows:

  • Initial authorisation fee $115.00
  • Annual authorisation fee (repeat) $75.00

Frequently Asked Questions

I am a currently registered teacher. When will I have to start paying the new registration fee?

Currently registered teachers will pay $75 to renew their registration when it next falls due. So if your registration expires 31 December 2009, you will pay $75 to renew your registration for 2010. If your registration expires in 2011 or 2012, then you will not pay the increased fee until your registration renewal is due.

Why is the Teacher Registration Board increasing its fees?

The Teacher Registration Board is increasing the registration fees in order to:
  • Ensure appropriate resourcing of its current activities to more closely reflect the actual cost of assessing applications for registration and processing registration renewals;
  • Ensure the Board is appropriately resourced to fulfil its obligations under the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act (the TR Act); and
  • Ensure the Board can respond to the changing policy environment locally and nationally.

Do the registration fees fund all of the work of the Board?

The Board will not, in the foreseeable future, have a sufficient number of teachers paying registration fees to fully support the Board's work unless the fees were very significantly increased. The Northern Territory Government continues to provide funding to the Board to bridge the gap between the revenue from registration fees and the resources required to support the Board's work.

Why is the new fee set for 3 years?

Under the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act, the registration fee is not indexed annually against the CPI. Had the fee been indexed in 2004, the registration fee for 2009 would have increased to around $70. By setting the fee for three years, the annual indexation against the CPI is anticipated.

How much will I have to pay if I want to register for 5 years?

If you pay your registration fees for 5 years, then you will pay at the rate of $75 per annum. If the fee increases during the period for which you have paid your fees, you will not be required to pay the difference for registration renewal.

What is an Initial Registration Fee?

Applicants applying for registration for the first time pay a higher fee to reflect the cost of assessing the application - the Initial Registration Fee effectively is a registration plus application fee.

As Mutual Recognition applications require less time to assess (though not to process), a lesser initial fee has been charged.

Why has the Board introduced an Initial Registration/Authorisation Fee?

The Board has introduced an Initial Registration Fee and an Initial Authorisation Fee to reflect more closely the cost of the resources required to undertake an assessment of a new application for registration or authorisation. The previous flat fee did not reflect the true costs of assessing new applications.

Who is eligible for the Initial Registration Fee at a reduced rate?

Applicants who have graduated from an initial teacher education program at either Charles Darwin University or the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education are eligible for the Initial Registration Fee at a reduced rate as the Board has assessed the initial teacher education programs at each of these institutions.

Why is the Initial Registration Fee reduced for CDU and BIITE graduates?

The TRB assesses the initial teacher education programs at both Charles Darwin University and BIITE and so applicants with awards from these institutions require less time to assess. As well, it is an accepted practice that teacher regulatory boards have a reduced fee for graduate teachers from their own jurisdiction in a show of support for local graduate teachers.

How do the NT teacher registration fees compare with other jurisdictions?

Up until this fee increase, the Northern Territory had the lowest registration fees of any jurisdiction. The increase in our fees will bring us closer to the average. Comparisons between the jurisdictions, however, are imprecise. For example, in South Australia, teachers pay a $90 per annum flat fee and must pay for three years registration at a time; teachers in Western Australia pay a registration fee of $70 annually plus a fee for membership of the Western Australian College of Teachers. Accredited teachers in New South Wales currently pay $92 annually but the fee is indexed against the CPI.

What work does the Teacher Registration Board do other than registering teachers?

Registering teachers is the most obvious work the Board undertakes and is the most resource intensive. Annually, the Board registers over 1,000 new teachers and renews just under 4,000 registrations.

The functions of the Board, however, are more extensive than registering teachers. Section 11(1) of the TR Act outlines 12 functions which can be broadly brought together as follows:
  • Inquiries and Complaints - the Board must ensure that only persons who are competent and of good character are registered to teach in the Northern Territory. At any one time, the Board has up to twenty cases it is either investigating or which are the subject of committees of inquiry that have resulted from complaints to the Board, notifications from employers or the Northern Territory Police or from teachers' declarations.

  • Compliance - the Board has responsibility for ensuring teachers and employers of teachers comply with the TR Act. For example, the Board must undertake an annual audit. Under the provisions of section 78 of the Act, the Board requires all employers of teachers to provide the Board with an annual return of all persons teaching at the employer's school (or schools) as at 1 March each year. In particular, the Board asks for the registration details for each teacher to be recorded.

  • Supporting Professional Standards of Practice - the Board has developed the Professional Standards of Practice for Graduate, Competent and Accomplished Teachers. The Standards underpin the Board's work and form the basis of the Board's engagement in the lifecycle of teachers' careers.

  • Initial Teacher Education - the Board assesses all initial teacher education courses delivered in the Northern Territory against the Standards of Professional Practice for Graduate Teachers, and is engaged in ongoing monitoring and evaluation of programs.

  • Participation with national peak body - the Board is an active member of the peak body, the Australasian Teacher Regulatory Authorities (ATRA) and has representation of other national committees.