AHPRA has ruled out any changes to its public register following a renewed push to remove weblinks to adverse tribunal decisions against doctors after five years.

Avant has described the permanent citations as “punitive” and expressed concern over the professional and personal impacts on doctors’ health and wellbeing.

Its chief medical officer, Dr Penny Browne, told the AMA National Conference last month that the current policy was, in some cases, more draconian than sanctions imposed by the criminal system.

“I am aware that the AMA has also raised these issues, pointing out that there are spent conviction provisions for certain classes of criminal convictions so that convictions are removed from a person’s criminal record after 10 years,” she said.