Legislation

Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009

Australian government reports recommending further regulation of naturopathy or Western herbal medicine

The Practice and Regulatory Requirements for Naturopathy and Western Herbal Medicine. (pdf) 2005 Victorian government report on the regulation of naturopaths and herbalists

Inquiry into bogus, unregistered and deregistered health practitioners. (pdf) 2009 report by the Parliament of South Australian’s Social Development Committee

Expert committee report: Complementary Medicines in the Australian Health System (webpage) 2003 report to the Parliamentary Secretary for Health by the Australian government’s Complementary Medicine Expert Committee (CMEC).

Discussion Paper: Regulation of Complementary Health Practitioners. (pdf) 2002 discussion paper by the New South Wales Health Department.

Other reports pertaining to the regulation of naturopathy or Western herbal medicine

Regulation of complementary medicines. (pdf) A report for the Parliamentary Secretary for Health prepared by the Network of Researchers in the Public Health of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NORPHCAM)

World Health Organization Strategy for Traditional Medicine. (webpage) In 2002 the World Health Organization prepared a strategy to relaise the opportunities and face the challenges posed by CAM use. Part of the World Health Organisation was to develop policy that caught up with modern demands for CAM and improve safety by enacting appropriate statutory regulation.

2008 Report from the Department of Health Steering Group on the Statutory Regulation of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Other Forms of Traditional Medicine as Practised in the UK (pdf) In 2000 a House of Lords report investigated and recommended the regulation of a number of practitioners, including herbalists. This is the report commissioned by the British Department of Health to implement regulation.

Government regulatory agencies

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

Professional associations

There are over 90 professional associations purporting to represent naturopaths and Western herbalists in Australia. The Therapeutic Goods Administration compiles a list of professional associations whose members are deemed ‘recognised health professionals’ and therefore able to receive advertising material that does not comply with the TGA Advertising Code.
TGA List of Professional Assocations Eligible for Certificate of Exemption