2025 Psychology Code of Conduct: Impact on Medico-Legal Reports WA
Navigating the New Standard: How the 2025 Psychology Code of Conduct Impacts Medico-Legal Reporting in WA
In December 2025, the Psychology Board of Australia introduced a new, independent Code of Conduct alongside updated professional competencies — the most significant regulatory overhaul the profession has seen since 2010. For lawyers, insurers, and individuals in Western Australia relying on expert psychological evidence, this shift carries real and immediate implications.
Whether you are seeking medico-legal psychological reports for compensation claims, psychological reports for court, or assessments related to personal injury or workers compensation, understanding how the new standards affect the quality and admissibility of expert evidence is essential.
What Changed in December 2025?
The Psychology Board of Australia's updated Code of Conduct was developed as a standalone document — no longer shared with other health professions — reflecting the distinct ethical and professional obligations of registered psychologists. Key changes include:
- Updated professional competencies aligned with contemporary evidence-based and trauma-informed practice
- Strengthened independence requirements for psychologists providing expert opinion in legal, compensation, and medico-legal settings
- Greater clarity on dual-role conflicts, specifically the obligation to disclose prior or current treating relationships when appointed as an expert witness
- Revised guidance on documentation standards, including the structure and objectivity required in formal reports
- Updated 5+1 internship and national exam requirements, raising the baseline for newly registered practitioners entering the workforce
These changes are not merely procedural. They represent a cultural shift toward greater accountability, particularly in contexts where psychological opinion carries significant legal weight.
Why This Matters for Legal and Insurance Professionals in WA
In Western Australia, medico-legal psychological assessments intersect with a range of legal frameworks, including the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 2003 (WA), the Workers' Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023 (WA), and the rules of evidence governing expert testimony in both civil and criminal proceedings.
Under Australian evidence law — and consistent with the principles affirmed in cases such as Makita (Australia) Pty Ltd v Sprowles [2001] NSWCA 305 — expert opinion must be grounded in specialised knowledge derived from training, study, or experience, and must be clearly distinguished from advocacy or conjecture. The 2025 Code of Conduct reinforces this standard explicitly, requiring AHPRA-registered psychologists to:
- Maintain objectivity and independence at all times when providing expert evidence
- Clearly disclose any prior treating relationship with the person being assessed
- Ensure their opinions are evidence-based and properly reasoned, not simply supportive of a referring party's position
For legal practitioners and insurers, engaging a psychologist who operates in strict accordance with the updated Code is not just good practice — it is increasingly a matter of report admissibility and evidentiary weight.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Reports in WA: A Specific Focus
Criminal injuries compensation reports WA represent one of the most sensitive and technically demanding areas of medico-legal psychology. Under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 2003 (WA), claimants must establish the nature and extent of psychological harm arising from a criminal act. This requires a formal psychological assessment that:
- Diagnoses any psychological injury in accordance with current diagnostic criteria (DSM-5-TR or ICD-11)
- Establishes a causal nexus between the criminal act and the diagnosed condition
- Provides a prognosis and treatment recommendations
- Is prepared by an AHPRA-registered psychologist with appropriate forensic or medico-legal expertise
The 2025 competency updates place particular emphasis on trauma-informed assessment practices, which are directly relevant to CIC claimants who may present with complex trauma, PTSD, or comorbid conditions. A report that fails to apply current trauma-informed frameworks risks being challenged or afforded reduced weight by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Assessor.
The Treating Practitioner Exemption: What WA Practitioners Should Know
One often-misunderstood provision relevant to Western Australia concerns mandatory notification obligations under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (WA) Act 2010. In WA, treating practitioners are exempt from mandatory notification where their reasonable belief about a fellow practitioner's impairment or misconduct arises within a treating or medico-legal context.
This exemption exists to protect the therapeutic relationship and encourage candid disclosure during clinical and medico-legal assessments. However, it does not diminish the obligation of the assessing psychologist to produce an objective, rigorous, and compliant report. The exemption is procedural — it does not alter the substantive standards of professional conduct.
What to Look for in a Medico-Legal Psychologist in Western Australia
Given the evolving regulatory landscape, legal professionals and individuals in Perth and broader Western Australia should ensure their chosen psychologist meets the following criteria:
Qualifications and Registration
- Full AHPRA registration with no conditions or notations
- Endorsement or demonstrated expertise in forensic or medico-legal psychology
- Currency with the December 2025 Code of Conduct and updated competencies
Report Quality and Compliance
- Reports structured in accordance with court and tribunal expectations
- Clear separation of factual findings from expert opinion
- Disclosure of methodology, assessment tools used, and any limitations
- Trauma-informed approach where clinically indicated
Independence and Transparency
- No undisclosed treating relationship with the assessee
- Willingness to be cross-examined or provide supplementary reports if required
- No financial or relational conflict of interest
Personal Injuries and Workers Compensation: Meeting the 2025 Standard
For personal injuries psychological reports in Perth — including motor vehicle accident (MVA) assessments and workers compensation evaluations — the 2025 standards reinforce what experienced medico-legal practitioners have always known: a defensible report is a thorough report.
Insurers and self-insurers operating under WA's workers compensation scheme or assessing MVA claims under the Motor Vehicle (Third Party Insurance) Act 1943 (WA) should expect psychologists to apply updated competency standards when evaluating causation, diagnosis, functional impairment, and treatment needs. Reports that do not reflect current evidence-based practice are increasingly vulnerable to challenge.
Conclusion: Higher Standards, Better Outcomes
The December 2025 regulatory changes represent a genuine elevation of professional standards for AHPRA-registered psychologists across Australia. For the legal and insurance sectors in Western Australia, this is a positive development — provided practitioners are genuinely compliant and not merely nominally registered.
Well-prepared, independent, and evidence-based medico-legal psychological reports protect all parties: they give courts and tribunals reliable expert evidence, they provide claimants with fair and thorough assessments, and they give insurers and legal professionals the defensible documentation they need.
Speak with Cygnet Medico-Legal Psychologists
Cygnet Medico-Legal Psychologists is Perth's trusted AHPRA-registered forensic psychology practice, providing expert medico-legal assessments across Western Australia. Our reports are prepared in strict accordance with the 2025 Psychology Code of Conduct and are regularly accepted by courts, tribunals, and compensation bodies.
We provide:
- Criminal injuries compensation reports (CIC) under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 2003 (WA)
- Pre-sentencing and fitness-to-stand-trial reports
- Personal injuries and MVA psychological assessments
- Workers compensation psychological evaluations
- Expert witness reports and court appearances
Fremantle: (08) 9467 6373 Midland: (08) 9467 7676
Contact us today to discuss your referral or to request a fee schedule. Our experienced team is available to assist legal practitioners, insurers, and individuals throughout Perth and Western Australia.