Department of Health

Key messages

Background

There are laws in Victoria that regulate Chinese medicine practitioners. The Chinese Medicine Registration Act 2000 was developed following an extensive consultation process. Victoria was the first Australian state to register Chinese medicine practitioners.

The process commenced in 1995 as part of a review of traditional Chinese medicine by the previous Victorian Department of Health and Community Services.

Regulation of Chinese medicine practitioners

The Act provided for the registration of:

  • Chinese herbal medicine practitioners
  • acupuncturists
  • Chinese herbal dispensers.

The Chinese Medicine Registration Acthas since been repealed by the Health Professions Registration Act 2005, which came into effect on 1 July 2007. However, the key reforms for regulation of Chinese medicine practitioners are retained in more recent laws.

Consultation, review and publication

A range of archive material exists on Chinese medicine practitioner registration in Victoria, covering the earlier review of traditional Chinese medicine and the subsequent consultation, review and implementation of the legislation:

  • Newsletter No. 1 February 1996 (English and Chinese versions)
  • Newsletter No. 2 November 1996
  • Newsletters No. 3, 4 & 5 summary
  • Newsletter No. 6 July 2000 (English and Chinese versions)
  • Newsletter No. 7 February 2001 (English and Chinese versions)
  • Traditional Chinese medicine – report on options for regulation of practitioners July 1998
  • Review of traditional Chinese medicine discussion paper – options for regulation of the profession of traditional Chinese medicine, September 1997
  • Towards a safer choice – the practice of traditional Chinese medicine in Australia, November 1996.

To access archival material, please contact workfoce.regulatory.reform@dhhs.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 9096 7651.

Reviewed 09 September 2015

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