National Registration and Accreditation Scheme
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) at its meeting of 26 March 2008 took a major step towards improving Australia’s health system by signing an Intergovernmental Agreement on the health workforce.
This agreement will for the first time create a single national registration and accreditation system for nine health professions: medical practitioners; nurses and midwives; pharmacists; physiotherapists; psychologists; osteopaths; chiropractors; optometrists; and dentists (including dental hygienists, dental prosthetists and dental therapists). The new arrangement will help health professionals move around the country more easily, reduce red tape, provide greater safeguards for the public and promote a more flexible, responsive and sustainable health workforce. For example, the new scheme will maintain a public national register for each health profession that will ensure that a professional who has been banned from practising in one place is unable to practise elsewhere in Australia.
Dr Louise Morauta, formerly of the Commonwealth Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Canberra, has been appointed to head the implementation team for the first 12 months. Dr Morauta has been involved in the development of the IGA, where she co-chaired with Queensland the Commonwealth/State working group.
Dr Morauta commenced work on the project on 26 May 2008.
COAG Communique - 26th March 2008 (pdf, 92k)
The National Registration and Accreditation Implementation Project Team will host stakeholder forums across Australia to outline elements of the Scheme shortly.
Intergovernmental Agreement
Registration and accreditation scheme for the health professions (pdf, 123k)
Calls for submissions
Call for submissions on partially regulated professions (pdf, 35k)
Please Note that your submission will be published on this website unless
you advise otherwise.
Comments
on issues to be covered in first piece of legislation (pdf, 89k)
Please Note that your submission will be published on this website unless
you advise otherwise.
Contact information
Postal address: PO Box 2089, WODEN ACT 2606
Email: NRAIP@dhs.vic.gov.au
Phone: 02 6289 1533
