Why ATMS Opposes This Proposal
The Australian Naturopathic Council (ANC), in partnership with ARONAH, ANTA, CMA, NHAA, and three education providers, lodged a formal submission to all State, Territory and Federal Health Ministers in March 2026 seeking statutory registration of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine under NRAS.
After careful assessment against the AHMAC public interest criteria, ATMS — as the leader of the natural medicine industry representing over 9,500 practitioners — does not support this proposal. Statutory registration is warranted only where there is a demonstrated, significant, and systemic risk of harm to the public that existing mechanisms cannot manage. The current evidence does not meet that threshold.
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1The public interest test has not been met.
NRAS registration requires demonstrated, significant, systemic harm to the public. The Carlton Report — which underpins the submission — does not establish reliable incidence rates, comparative risk measures, or causal evidence linking qualified association-member practitioners to adverse public health outcomes. The evidence base is appropriate for exploratory scoping; it does not meet the standard required for statutory intervention.
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2Self-regulation is already working.
ATMS and other professional associations currently provide rigorous credentialling, mandatory CPE requirements, ethical frameworks, complaints handling, and health fund recognition — all without AHPRA involvement or cost to government. The Carlton Report itself acknowledges these functions. Limitation is not failure: the appropriate response is to strengthen self-regulation, not replace it.
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3The ATMS member survey was misrepresented.
The ANC/ARONAH submission cites an ATMS member survey as evidence that ATMS members support statutory registration. ATMS firmly disputes this. The survey was distributed across our full membership of over 20 professions, with massage practitioners representing a plurality of respondents. Results from a multi-profession survey cannot be attributed to naturopath and WHM members specifically.
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4Health fund recognition is already achieved without NRAS.
ATMS already has active health fund recognition through the ARHG agreement, with CBHS and others re-credentialling from April 2026. Naturopaths and WHM practitioners do not need statutory registration to access private health insurance rebates. The dietitians profession achieves Medicare and DVA recognition entirely through self-regulation — without AHPRA involvement.
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5The costs outweigh the demonstrated benefits.
Statutory registration would impose annual AHPRA registration fees, increased compliance burden, potential exclusion of existing practitioners who do not meet new minimum qualification standards, and workforce disruption — particularly in rural and regional areas where naturopaths are a significant part of the health workforce. These costs have not been shown to be clearly outweighed by public benefit.
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6Chinese medicine is a cautionary precedent, not a positive one.
After more than 14 years under NRAS, Chinese medicine practitioners still have no Medicare access or DVA recognition. University programs contracted rather than expanded. Annual fees and compliance burdens increased with no corresponding improvement in scope of practice. There is no credible basis to expect a different outcome for naturopathy and WHM.
What Happens With Your Signature
All signatures collected through this petition will be compiled and formally submitted to the Australian Health Ministers' Meeting, the Health Chief Executives Forum, and the Health Workforce Taskforce as part of ATMS's evidence base opposing the ANC/ARONAH submission.
Your name, professional title, modality and association will be included unless you elect to remain anonymous. Contact details are held securely and will not be shared with third parties.
By signing, you confirm you are a qualified Naturopath or Western Herbal Medicine practitioner. This petition is open to all qualified practitioners regardless of which professional association you belong to — including ANTA, NHAA, ARONAH members, and unaffiliated practitioners.
For ATMS's full formal submission, visit atms.com.au.