Background
The Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA) has operated as a national professional association since 1955, representing highly qualified practitioners across natural, traditional and complementary therapies.
ANTA’s purpose is to support and empower its members by championing quality education, clinical excellence and professional recognition of natural medicine practitioners. ANTA’s vision is to ensure ANTA members are recognised for their excellence by leading the way in embracing high standards of natural therapy practice.
This position statement clarifies ANTA’s position on statutory registration, protection of title and professional standards for Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine.
It is intended for the information of ANTA members, potential members, educators, government stakeholders and the wider natural therapies sector. It should also be considered in conjunction with the ANTA Constitution, the ANTA Code of Professional Conduct and the current ANTA Strategy (2030).
ANTA’s Position
ANTA supports statutory registration of Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).
ANTA further supports the formal government assessment process required to progress statutory registration under the NRAS.
ANTA’s position in that process is clear – ANTA supports registration for its members.
This position is not based on status, commercial advantage or professional prestige.
Rather, ANTA’s position is grounded in public protection, professional accountability, patient confidence, evidence-informed practice, practitioner recognition and the right of the public to identify properly qualified practitioners.
ANTA’s fundamental ethos is that natural therapies work with natural processes of the body to improve harmony and function. Operationally, this requires proportionate intervention, evidence-informed reasoning, defined scope of practice, appropriate referral, collaboration and respect for the role of regulated health professionals.
This position is therefore well-aligned with:
- ANTA’s Strategy to develop, support and increase the impact of members through safe, ethical and professionally recognised practice; and
- ANTA’s Values of Excellence, Integrity, Evidence, Professionalism and Connection.
Why Protection of Title Matters
For ANTA, protection of title is a practical public protection measure. It helps ensure that when a member of the public consults someone using the title Naturopath, or Western Herbal medicine practitioner, or other similar titles (*) – that title is supported by recognised education, professional standards and accountability.
At present, there is no profession-wide statutory title protection preventing an unqualified or underqualified person from presenting to the public as a Naturopath or Western Herbal medicine practitioner. ANTA supports statutory title protection for the core professional titles and for closely related titles that could reasonably be understood by the public as denoting those professions(*).
Professional associations, including ANTA, commonly set standards of professional conduct for their members, maintain accreditation requirements, enforce ethical obligations, require continuing professional education and manage complaints about members. However, professional associations cannot, by themselves, prevent a non-member from using professional titles in the marketplace.
That gap matters because genuine patient choice depends on transparency. The public should be able to distinguish between a properly trained practitioner who is subject to professional standards and a person who is not. Protection of title assists patients, supports ethical practitioners and strengthens public confidence in the professions.
(*) For example, naturopathic medicine practitioner, naturopathic practitioner, herbal medicine practitioner, phytotherapist or other practitioner titles in common use.
ANTA’s Position on Risk and Public Confidence
ANTA recognises Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine as health practices capable of creating meaningful health changes. Practices that can meaningfully affect health outcomes necessarily require appropriate safeguards. Acknowledging risk does not diminish the professions – it confirms that education, professional standards, accountability and title protection are essential to public confidence.
To argue that no meaningful public protection risk exists is difficult to reconcile with the proposition that Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine are substantive health practices. ANTA’s position is that the professions should be recognised as capable, clinically relevant and sufficiently significant to warrant the same serious regulatory assessment applied to other health professions.
The purpose of statutory registration is to manage risk in the public interest by ensuring recognised qualifications, minimum professional standards, appropriate scope of practice, referral obligations, complaints pathways and practitioner accountability.
ANTA’s Position on Self-Regulation and Statutory Registration
Professional association self-regulation is important and ANTA continues to perform its role as a professional association, particularly through professional practitioner advocacy and representation, national education standards, ethical requirements, continuing professional development and human-centred member support.
However, self-regulation is not a sufficient substitute for NRAS registration. It cannot provide profession-wide statutory title protection, enforce minimum entry-to-practice standards across all practitioners or prevent non-members from using professional titles.
ANTA’s Historic and Current Role
ANTA has a 70-year history of supporting professional standards, public protection and practitioner recognition. ANTA previously supported statutory registration, including through its 2016 submission to the Health Workforce Principal Committee of the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council seeking registration of Naturopathy, Western Herbal medicine and Nutritional medicine.
ANTA has also participated in the National Registration Working Group process by contributing to the submission led by the Australian Naturopathic Council (ANC), in which ANTA’s role is recognised as a participating professional association alongside other professional associations, education providers and key stakeholders.
ANTA therefore strongly supports respectful professional dialogue on this matter across the sector, NRAS registration administered by Ahpra and a transparent government assessment process to progress that outcome.
ANTA Position Summary
ANTA will continue to advocate for public protection, high educational standards, professional recognition, evidence-informed practice and respectful collaboration across the natural therapies sector.
This includes supporting statutory registration of Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme administered by Ahpra, as well as the formal government assessment process required to progress statutory registration.
The current discussion should provide an opportunity for mature, evidence-informed and transparent engagement about how best to protect the public, recognise properly qualified practitioners and preserve the integrity of Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine in Australia.
ANTA remains fully committed to working constructively with its members, potential members, educators, government, regulators, health funds, professional associations and the wider community to achieve those outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ANTA support registration under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) for Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine?
Yes. ANTA supports statutory registration of Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme administered by Ahpra.
Why does ANTA support registration?
ANTA supports registration because it advances public protection, title protection, enforceable education and professional standards, practitioner accountability and public confidence in qualified naturopaths and Western Herbal medicine practitioners.
Does ANTA support natural medicine principles within registration?
Yes. ANTA supports registration in a way that respects natural medicine principles, whole person care, evidence-informed practice, unity through diversity, professional freedom and patient choice within safe and accountable practice boundaries.
Why is ANTA making this statement now?
ANTA has a 70-year history of supporting professional standards, public protection and practitioner recognition.
ANTA has previously supported statutory registration, including through its 2016 submission to the Health Workforce Principal Committee of the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) seeking registration of Naturopathy, Western Herbal medicine and Nutritional medicine.
ANTA is making this statement now to provide members, potential members, educators and stakeholders with full clarity on its position aligned with its current Strategy, Values and Vision. ANTA’s Vision is to ensure ANTA members are recognised for their excellence by leading the way in embracing high standards of natural therapy practice.
Does ANTA believe current self-regulation is inadequate?
ANTA believes self-regulation is valuable but is not always sufficient in appropriately protecting the profession. Professional associations can regulate their own members, but they cannot regulate non-members, prevent title misuse or impose enforceable standards across the whole profession.
Why does ANTA say public protection risk exists?
Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine are meaningful health practices capable of affecting health outcomes.
Any practice capable of affecting health outcomes requires appropriate safeguards. Risk does not diminish the professions – it confirms the need for education, standards, accountability and title protection. Acknowledging risk supports public confidence, professional credibility and safe practice.
Will registration exclude experienced practitioners?
ANTA supports fair transitional and grandparenting arrangements for existing experienced practitioners with historic qualifications who can demonstrate safe, ethical and competent practice.
Does registration guarantee Medicare, DVA, health fund access or prescribing rights?
No. Registration does not, of itself, guarantee Medicare access, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) access, health fund access, public funding, prescribing rights or expanded scope of practice. Those are separate policy matters.
Does ANTA still support professional associations?
Yes. ANTA believes statutory registration and strong professional associations complement each other. Professional associations remain essential for member support, education, advocacy, professional development, clinical resources and professional community.
What exactly does ANTA support?
- ANTA supports statutory registration of Naturopathy and Western Herbal medicine under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme administered by Ahpra.
- ANTA supports statutory protection of the titles naturopath, Western Herbal medicine practitioner and other closely related titles that could reasonably be understood by the public as denoting those professions.
- ANTA supports enforceable minimum education, ethical and professional standards.
- ANTA supports Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Level 7 or equivalent as the appropriate future entry-to-practice standard. ANTA supports fair transitional and grandparenting arrangements for existing experienced practitioners with historic qualifications who can demonstrate safe, ethical and competent practice.
- ANTA supports professional freedom, practitioner choice and patient choice within safe, transparent and defensible scope of practice boundaries.
- ANTA supports collaboration between professional associations, educators, regulators, health funds, government and other stakeholders to progress registration in a way that is practical, fair and aligned with public protection.
- ANTA does not suggest that statutory registration would, of itself, guarantee Medicare access, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) access, health fund access, public funding, prescribing rights or expanded scope of practice – those are separate policy matters. The core rationale for ANTA’s position is public protection, title protection, professional accountability, safe practice, practitioner recognition and confidence in suitably-qualified natural therapy practitioners.