Reform tracker · Australia
Dawson review of the national registration scheme
An independent review found the scheme had "become too inward-looking, too fragmented, and too slow to respond to emerging risks and opportunities". Health Ministers accepted governance changes in May 2026 but deferred an integrated, risk-based framework for regulating all health professions.
The stated rationale
The scheme had "become too inward-looking, too fragmented, and too slow to respond to emerging risks and opportunities".
What was decided
- Accepted: the Ahpra Board becomes a “National Scheme Board”; a Statement of Expectations; a complaints navigator.
- Rejected: a single entry point for complaints, and adding new professions to the scheme straight away (a risk framework was due mid-2026).
- Deferred: an integrated, risk-based framework for regulating all health professions.
- Not kept voluntary: Ministers declined to keep National Board mergers voluntary and asked the Health Workforce Taskforce to develop a framework for multi-profession boards.
Why it matters
The deferred integrated framework is where Australia could adopt a UK-style sliding scale of assurance, and the multi-profession boards framework could reshape who regulates each profession. Both are worth watching closely.
Who supports it
- Ahpra
Who has raised concerns
- AMA (raised concerns in submissions, for example on accreditation transparency, while backing some actions)