This page contains useful policy documents and policy information on current issues.
Engaging Government
ACN’s 2023-2024 Pre-Budget Submission
ACN’s 2023-24 Pre-Budget submission asks the Australian Government to:
- Upskill the aged care nursing workforce through an extension of the Aged Care Transition to Practice Program and 5000 scholarships for RNs to undertake a Graduate Certificate in Aged Care scholarships.
- Support overseas-trained nurses to live and work in Australia, through changing the National Law to allow the current providers who offer an approved ANMAC bridging course for internationally qualified nurses to continue to do so beyond 2023.
- Support nurse leaders to undertake leadership programs, including 3000 scholarships for nurse managers to undertake ACN’s new NUM Leadership Program, as well as 600 additional scholarships for the Mid-Career and Nurse Executive Leadership Programs.
- Strengthen the nursing workforce in the Pacific, for 200 nurses in the 15 Pacific Nations to undertake ACN postgraduate certification online and 1000 Pacific nurses to undertake the online Principles of Emergency Care course.
Letter: Addressing Collaborative Arrangements for Nurse Practitioners
The Collaborative Arrangement Determination for Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Midwives has been reviewed and a new sunset date of 2022 has been approved. The Collaborative Arrangement Determination was due to sunset this year, which would have meant NPs were no longer required to form a Collaborative Arrangement with a medical practitioner.
Continuing with collaborative arrangements seems to ignore the evidence base available. The implications of continuing the Collaborative Arrangement Determination are critical to the nurse practitioner workforce and their capacity to increase access to care for patients, particularly in marginalised and vulnerable populations.
Useful links
- Australian Government Department of Health — news and announcements for the aged care sector
- Australian Government — Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports and data
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care — National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards User Guide for the Review of Clinical Variation in Health Care
- SPHERE (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care) — Women’s SRH COVID-19 coalition
- NPS MedicineWise — Active ingredient prescribing: all you need to know
- Australian Government Department of Health Therapeutic Goods Administration — medicinal cannabis in Australia