January 2012
The Chinese Medicine Board Australia (CMBA) have released the Registration Standards for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

The Registration Standards contain the criteria a practitioner must meet in order to become registered with the CMBA, and to then continue to be registered. So they are very important documents and ATMS members accredited for acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine are urged to read them.

There are six Registration Standards, and all are important. However those which will be most immediately important for most practitioners are the ‘Chinese Medicine Grandparenting and General Registration Eligibility Registration Standard’ and the ‘Chinese Medicine English Language Skills Registration Standard’.

These and all the other Registration Standards may be accessed by following these links:
• Chinese Medicine Continuing Professional Development Registration Standard (290 KB,PDF)
• Chinese Medicine Criminal History Registration Standard (291 KB,PDF)
• Chinese Medicine English Language Skills Registration Standard (307 KB,PDF)
• Chinese Medicine Grandparenting and General Registration Eligibility Registration Standard (428 KB,PDF)
• Chinese Medicine Professional Indemnity Insurance Arrangements Registration Standard (297 KB,PDF)
• Chinese Medicine Recency of Practice Registration Standard (294 KB,PDF)

The CMBA have also released some explanatory guides to help practitioners understand the Registration process. These may be accessed by following these links:
•Registering with the National Board FAQ (245 KB,PDF)
•Registration Standards FAQ (105 KB,PDF)
•Student Registration FAQ (83.2 KB,PDF)

January 2012 - Regulation of the Natural Medicine Profession
ATMS supports the registration of natural medicine practitioners. Accordingly ATMS promotes a Government Monitored Co-Regulatory Scheme as the most appropriate practitioner registration model for the natural medicine profession. The following links explain the ATMS position on this important issue:

“The Regulation of Natural Medicine” sets the foundations as to why a co-regulatory model is the most appropriate, and why statutory registration is inappropriate.
Click here for PDF format
Click here for Ebook format
Click here for Pages(Mac) format

“ATMS Assessment of the AHMAC Criteria” explains why the natural medicine profession does not meet the Government mandatory requirements for statutory registration.

“Occupational Regulatory Model Of Government Monitored Self-Regulation” outlines the processes by which an appropriate co-regulatory model may be brought into force.

ATMS continues to refine and promote the co-regulatory model with other natural medicine Associations. ATMS was the key proposer of the Natural Medicine and Therapies Registration Board (NMTRB) which has met on several occasions to further develop the best possible co-regulatory model for the profession. At the time of writing the next meeting for the NMTRB is scheduled for 10/2/12.

April 2011
ATMS submission to AHMAC on options for regulation of unregistered health practitioners

June 2009
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) increases fees and charges for complementary medicines by 14.3%

May 2009
Details of the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme

December 2008
National Prescribing Service. Information Use and Needs of Complementary Medicine Users. December 2008.

15 July 2008
NSW Health introduces Public Health (General) Amendment Regulation 2008. All NSW practitioners are required to display the Code of Conduct and the Health Care Complaints Commission information sheet in their clinics.

08 January 2008
NSW Health releases Unregistered Health Practitioners Code of Conduct Impact Asessment Statement for comment

20 November 2007
Democrats release their complementary medicine health policy

15 June 2007
Commonwealth Government funds the establishment of the National Institute of Complementary Medicine

18 April 2007
Democrats demand that Howard Government apologise to Pan Pharmaceuticals

23 October 2006
The Health Care Complaints Committee of the NSW Parliament has released a report entitled Review of the 1998 Report Into Unregistered Health Practitioners: The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints.

July 2006
The Federal Court of Australia stops a pharmacy watchgroup from publishing a report on Ginkgo biloba and tinnitus.

25 May 2006
Documents detailing the proposed joint regulatory scheme for the new Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority (ANZTPA) have been released for public consultation

March 2006
Joint Agency Establishment Group for the Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority

February 2006
Progress report on the Implementation of the Government Response to the Recommendations of the Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines in the Health System

February 2006
ATMS submission to the NSW Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission on the Review of the Unregistered Health Practitioners: The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints Report (1998)

February 2006
NSW Parliamentary Inquiry conducted by the Health Care Complaints Commission:
Review of Unregistered Health Practitioners: The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints Report 1998.

November 2005
Parliament of NSW Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission.
Report Into Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Health Professions Registration Act 2005 (Victoria)

August 2005
The ATMS submission to the WA Department of Health Discussion Paper:
Regulation of Practitioners of Chinese Medicine in Western Australia June 2005

July 2005
The ATMS submission to the NSW Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission Inquiry Into and Report on the Possible Regulation or Registration of the Practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine

July 2005
NSW Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission Inquiry Into and Report on the Possible Regulation of Traditional Chinese Mediciner

June 2005
The Cancer Journey: Informing Choice :
the report of the Australian Senate Inquiry Into Services and Treatment Options for Persons with Cancer

The ATMS Submission to the Australian Senate Inquiry Into Services and Treatment Options for Persons with Cancer

April 2005
Parliament of Australia Senate Inquiry Into Services and Treatment Options for Persons with Cancer

Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW)

The Codex Threat to Australia - Fact or Fiction?

March 2005
Government Response to the Recommendations of the Expert Committee
on Complementary Medicines in the Health System

NSW Health Skin Penetration Guidelines

NSW Health Skin Penetration Code of Best Practice

August 2004
Australian Democrats Complementary Medicine Health Policy

May 2004
Draft Australian Regulatory Guidelines for Complementary Medicines. Part II. Listed Complementary Medicines.

14 April 2004
Transcript of the Talk Given by ATMS at the Australian Democrats Dinner and Forum on Complementary Medicine on 18 May 2004 in Melbourne and 20 May 2004 in Sydney

UK Department of Health Releases Discussion Paper for Statutory Registration of Herbalists and Acupuncturists

February 2004
ATMS response to the Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines in the Health System Report of September 2003

14 January 2004
Australian Taxation Office: GST and Product Recalls

10 December 2003
Australia and New Zealand Sign an Agreement on a
Regulatory Scheme for Therapeutic Goods

2 December 2003
Senator Barnett's (Tasmania) Speech in Parliament on Complementary and Preventative Healthcare

Parker MH. The Regulation of Complementary Health: Sacrificing Integrity?
Medical Journal of Australia 2003;179(6):316-318.

Oct 2003
Report of the TGA's Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines in the Health System

Oct 2003
Victorian Research Project on Risks, Benefits and Regulatory Requirements for the Practice of Naturopathy and Western Herbal Medicine

October 2003
Regulation of the Health Professions in Victoria: A Discussion Paper

Regulation of the Health Professions in Victoria

September 2003
Herbal Medicine Regulatory Working Group.
Recommendations on the Regulation of Herbal Practitioners in the UK.

July 2003
Australian Taxation Office:
Are Acupuncture, Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine Services GST-Free?

July 2003
Australian Taxation Office: GST and Product Recalls

May 2003
TGA Issues Warning on Chelidonium

May 2003
Government Establishes Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines

NSW Health Releases Discussion Paper on
Complementary Medicine Regulation (Sept 2002)

Newsletter of the Uniform National Registration System for
GST-free Acupuncturists, Herbalists and Naturopaths (July 2002)

Government Grants $0.5 Million for GST-Free Registration System (March 2002)

International Alert on Kava ( March 2002 )

New Laws Covering Health Information (July 2001)

US White House Commission on Complementary
and Alternative Medicine Policy

Final Report of the Western Australian Department of Training and Employment
on Complementary Medicine (April 2001)

Report of the Review of the NSW Physiotherapists Registration Act 1945 (March 2001)

Review of Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances
Legislation Final Report. Parts A and B (Galbally Review) (January 2001)

Victorian Government Announces Composition of Chinese Medicine Board
(December 2000)

Health Minister Releases GST Transitional Arrangements (May 2000)

Meeting of the GST Consultative Forum on Health (January 2000)

Report of the NSW Health Department's Review of the
Chiropractors and Osteopaths Act 1991 (January 2000)

Review of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria

Australian Health Department's Statement on GST and Complementary Medicine (November 1999)

Outcomes of the Second Meeting of the Complementary Healthcare Consultative Forum (26 November 1999)

Senator Tambling Urges Complementary Medicines Policy Forum
to Set Directions for Industry (26 November 1999)

Chinese Herbal Medicines Found in Australia to Contain Aristolochia (October 1999)

Senator Tambling Encourages High Standards for Herbal Medicine (3 September 1999)

Letter to ATMS Members re GST and Complementary Medicine (20 July 1999)

Outcomes of the Inaugural Meeting of the Complementary Healthcare Consultative Forum 1 July 1999

Some Therapies Given GST-free Status (June 1999)

HCCC Finalises Inquiry into Unregistered Practitioners (June 1999)

Office of Complementary Medicines Opened (June 1999)

Therapeutic Goods Legislation Amendment Bill 1999 Passed in Parliament (April 1999)

Draft Traditional Chinese Medicine Educational Standards (April 1999)

Senator Tambling's Proposed Reforms to Complementary Medicines (April 1999)

Greens Senator Proposes Complementary Health Inquiry (April 1999)

Inaugural Meeting of The University of Sydney Herbal Medicines Research
and Education Centre Advisory Committee (April 1999)

ATMS Appears Before NSW Parliamentary Inquiry
Into Unregistered Practitioners (March 1999)

New Parliamentary Secretary (March 1999)

ATMS Gives Evidence at Senate Inquiry into GST (March 1999)

ATMS Participates in NFAA Workshop on Trans Tasman Harmonisation
(December 1998)