WHAT'S NEW
National Registration & Accreditation
On 26 March 2008 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for a National
Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions, which will commence on 1 July 2010.
The agreement will establish a single national registration and accreditation scheme for health professionals, beginning with the
ten professions currently registered in all jurisdictions. That is, chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy, optometry, nursing and
midwifery, pharmacy, dental care (dentists, dental hygienists, dental prosthetists and dental therapists), medicine, psychology,
and podiatry.
Health Ministers announced on 4 September 2008, the arrangements they will put in place to ensure that professions, consumers,
registration boards and education providers, as well as members of the general public, will have the opportunity to contribute to
the implementation of the new national registration and accreditation scheme. Ministers will use as their guiding principles in
developing the legislation and the scheme, that the safety of the public is paramount, that high quality health care must be
protected and advanced, and that governments should be accountable and processes transparent. The implementation arrangements and
the new scheme itself are designed to ensure consultation on key matters.
To implement the scheme, national legislation will be introduced in the Queensland Parliament in two stages. The first stage
covers the provisions of the COAG Agreement and was introduced in the Queensland Parliament on 29 October 2008.
Download Bill A (October 2008)
The second stage, to be introduced in the Queensland Parliament in August 2009, will cover matters where further work and
discussion is required beyond the terms of the COAG Agreement. These include: details of registration and accreditation
arrangements, complaints and enforcement arrangements, and privacy and information sharing arrangements, as well as other matters.
Consultation papers on all these issues will be available over the next month, with the opportunity for anyone to provide a
submission if they wish. All submissions will be due before the end of 2008 with different dates for different topics.
To ensure full engagement of the existing State and Territory boards in the ten professions to be covered by the new scheme on 1
July 2010, a national Registration Reference Group has been set up to provide advice. There will also be a Transition Coordination
Group in each State and Territory, comprising all the ten boards and the local health department.
A transition coordinator will be funded by governments in each State and Territory to assist the process of planning for the
transition.
Ministers also noted that the website www.nhwt.gov.au/natreg.asp will carry all
policy papers as they are issued as well as calls for submissions and information sheets on the new scheme and the implementation
process.
The agreement will establish a single national registration and accreditation scheme for health professionals, beginning with the ten professions currently registered in all jurisdictions. That is, chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy, optometry, nursing and midwifery, pharmacy, dental care (dentists, dental hygienists, dental prosthetists and dental therapists), medicine, psychology, and podiatry.
Health Ministers announced on 4 September 2008, the arrangements they will put in place to ensure that professions, consumers, registration boards and education providers, as well as members of the general public, will have the opportunity to contribute to the implementation of the new national registration and accreditation scheme. Ministers will use as their guiding principles in developing the legislation and the scheme, that the safety of the public is paramount, that high quality health care must be protected and advanced, and that governments should be accountable and processes transparent. The implementation arrangements and the new scheme itself are designed to ensure consultation on key matters.
To implement the scheme, national legislation will be introduced in the Queensland Parliament in two stages. The first stage covers the provisions of the COAG Agreement and was introduced in the Queensland Parliament on 29 October 2008.
Download Bill A (October 2008)The second stage, to be introduced in the Queensland Parliament in August 2009, will cover matters where further work and discussion is required beyond the terms of the COAG Agreement. These include: details of registration and accreditation arrangements, complaints and enforcement arrangements, and privacy and information sharing arrangements, as well as other matters.
Consultation papers on all these issues will be available over the next month, with the opportunity for anyone to provide a submission if they wish. All submissions will be due before the end of 2008 with different dates for different topics.
To ensure full engagement of the existing State and Territory boards in the ten professions to be covered by the new scheme on 1 July 2010, a national Registration Reference Group has been set up to provide advice. There will also be a Transition Coordination Group in each State and Territory, comprising all the ten boards and the local health department.
A transition coordinator will be funded by governments in each State and Territory to assist the process of planning for the transition.
Ministers also noted that the website www.nhwt.gov.au/natreg.asp will carry all policy papers as they are issued as well as calls for submissions and information sheets on the new scheme and the implementation process.