Health Sciences

Reforming Regulation of the Health Professions

Researchers: Anne-Louise Carlton (doctoral candidate); Professor Vivian Lin (Supervisor)

Summary

In March 2005, following a decision of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), the Australian Government requested the Productivity Commission to undertake a research study. The aim of the study was to examine issues impacting on the health workforce, including the supply of, and demand for, health professionals, and propose solutions to ensure the continued delivery of quality health care over the next 10 years.

In January 2006, the Productivity Commission released its final report. The Commission proposed a number of significant reforms to the way the health professions are regulated and courses of training are accredited. These proposals for reform of the regulatory system challenge traditional boundaries in regulation of the health professions, that is, the boundaries between states and territories and their respective regulatory authorities, but also, the boundaries between professions that are reflected in the profession specific regulatory structures.

Anne-Louise Carlton's reseach has included an examination of the Productivity Commission’s recommendations, including some of the difficulties with the current arrangements for regulation of the health professions, in order to identify some relevant developments in selected international jurisdictions and some of the mechanisms through which reform might be implemented.

Over the last 15 years, Anne-Louise Carlton’s work within the Workforce area of the Victorian Department of Human Services has included legislative reform of occupational regulation legislation under National Competition Policy. She has been responsible for designing new laws governing optometrists, chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, medical practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and Chinese medicine practitioners. Ms Carlton has managed the Victorian Review of Regulation of the Health Professions that led to the passage of the Victorian Health Professions Registration Act 2005. Her current work priorities include implementing the new legislation, reviewing the regulatory requirements for the professions of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine, and managing the Nationally Consistent Medical Registration legislation project.

Status of the project: Current

Research Outputs to date:

Conference Presentations

Publications

Carlton, Anne-Louise. 2005. Regulating complementary practitioners: The public-health policy analyst. Complementary Medicine May/June: 52-53.

Unpublished Reports

 

Back to top of page.
Public Health Practice - Research
Areas of Research: Regulation
Staff profile: Professor Vivian Lin