Regulation of Unregistered Health Practitioners

The Standing Council on Health has issued a Communique announcing that Australia's Health Ministers have agreed in principle to strengthen state and territory health complaints mechanisms via a single national Code of Conduct for unregistered health practitioners.

This Code is to be made by regulation in each state and territory, along with statutory powers to enforce the Code by investigating breaches and issuing prohibition orders.

The Ministers have also agreed to establish a nationally accessible web based register of prohibition orders, and to arrange mutual recognition of state and territory issued prohibition orders.

The ADAVB welcomes these new measures as we have long advocated for better protection of the public when they treated by unregistered and de-registered health practitioners.  Unregistered health practitioners include naturopaths, homeopaths, counselors, massage therapists, alternative medicine practitioners and others.  Some of these unregistered occupations have good self-regulatory measures whilst others do not, and in some cases, the evidence base for their treatments is questionable.

A public consultation will now be undertaken on the terms of the first national Code of Conduct and proposed policy parameters to underpin nationally consistent implementation of the Code, for consideration by Ministers.