National Registration Board changes

Very significant news affecting all Australian health practitioners appears in today's press. The Age reports that the Federal Government is expected to announce that the previous plan to establish a single national registration board for all major health occupations will be replaced by a plan to create nine separate national boards.

"Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott is expected to tell a conference on ageing in Melbourne today that there had been concerns that a single board could be used to determine the functions of different health workers rather than simply determining their competence."

The Age story also suggests that:

• Canberra believes health registration should be about public safety, and making it easier for health workers to practise anywhere in Australia, not about changing the demarcations between the professions.
• The proposed national boards would be set up in a similar way to present state registration boards.
• The chairs of all the different boards would form a committee — but would not have any authority over the boards.

More details will be advised about the new proposals as they become available.