Australia’s national health regulator has unveiled an ambitious five-year strategy aimed at strengthening public protection while responding to growing pressure, complexity and change across the healthcare system.
The National Scheme Strategy 2031, released by Ahpra on 17 March 2026, sets out a reform agenda built around three priorities: effective harm prevention; a culturally safe health system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; and a sustainable health workforce.
The strategy reflects what Ahpra describes as the need for ‘ambitious reform’ to keep pace with increasing demand, evolving care models and emerging risks across the system.
Effective harm prevention – expanding the regulator’s reach
The first pillar, effective harm prevention, signals a decisive shift towards earlier, more proactive regulatory intervention.
Ahpra makes clear that preventing harm – across physical, psychological, sexual and systemic domains – sits at the core of its mandate, with failure to act early framed as a risk to both public trust and patient safety.
The strategy outlines a dual focus:
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identifying and intervening in emerging risks earlier
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ensuring regulatory processes themselves do not contribute to harm.
This second point is particularly notable. The plan explicitly acknowledges that aspects of the regulatory system, particularly notifications processes, can be ‘distressing’ and must be designed to be timely, transparent and empathetic.
To support this shift, Ahpra is investing in a more intelligence-led regulatory model, including:
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expanded use of data and insights to detect patterns of concern
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new risk response tools and earlier intervention pathways
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increased proactive education and communication
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use of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor online environments for emerging risks.
The strategy also highlights the growing complexity of risk in modern healthcare, including the role of digital health, social media and commercial incentives in shaping practitioner behaviour and patient expectations.
For sectors such as aesthetic medicine – where online promotion, non-traditional care pathways and rapid technology adoption are prominent – this expanded regulatory lens is likely to be particularly relevant.
Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said: ‘These priorities will drive our reform agenda. They will guide every decision and investment we make to ensure Ahpra can continue its vital work of protecting the public for years to come.’
A culturally safe health system
The second pillar reinforces Ahpra’s commitment to cultural safety as a core element of public protection, rather than a parallel or secondary consideration.
The strategy takes a strong position, identifying racism as a persistent and unacceptable feature of the health system that continues to pose significant risk to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Cultural safety, as defined in the strategy, is determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples themselves and requires ongoing reflection on practitioner behaviour, power dynamics and system design.
Key reforms under this pillar include:
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embedding cultural safety into accreditation, standards and regulatory processes
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requiring lifelong training in cultural safety and anti-racism across the workforce
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strengthening accountability for culturally unsafe practice
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embedding cultural safety into the notifications process
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implementing Indigenous data sovereignty and governance principles.
Importantly, Ahpra positions this work as system-wide and ongoing, stating that its commitment to eliminating racism is ‘not bound by a single theme’ but embedded across all regulatory activity.
While centred on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, the implications extend more broadly to patient experience, communication and trust — areas that are increasingly central to regulatory expectations across all clinical settings.
A sustainable health workforce and a ‘deep review of accreditation models’
The third pillar focuses on workforce sustainability, recognising the health workforce as a ‘critical national asset’ under increasing strain.
Ahpra highlights that workforce pressures are being felt across the entire practitioner lifecycle, from education and training through to retention and career progression, with downstream impacts on access to care, costs and patient outcomes.
The strategy positions the National Scheme as a key enabler of workforce supply, particularly through its role in accreditation, registration and international pathways.
Key initiatives include:
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streamlining pathways to registration, including for internationally trained practitioners
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reviewing accreditation models to balance quality and access
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supporting practitioners to work to their full scope of practice
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enabling more flexible and innovative models of care
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introducing a single practitioner identifier across the career lifecycle
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sharing workforce data to support system-wide planning.
The strategy also acknowledges that the scheme can be perceived as contributing to system inefficiencies, and commits to reducing duplication, inconsistency and unnecessary administrative burden.
Ahpra’s commitment to reassessing domestic and international pathways to registration and accreditation is significant, with the regulator flagging a ‘deep review of accreditation models’.
‘Contemporary accreditation services must balance quality and access to workforce. Education and training to ensure practitioners are competent and able to develop their scope of practice to meet healthcare needs is essential for public safety and workforce sustainability,’ the plan states.
Mr Untersteiner said reform is essential to ensure the regulator remains aligned with the needs of the system: ‘We have a proven ability to effectively register and regulate health practitioners in Australia. This is our core business and our commitment to public protection has never been in doubt.
‘But we know we can’t stand still. We have to take stock and make sure we’re in step with what’s next – for health consumers, health workers and the health of the system.’
AI and emerging technologies – a new frontier for regulation
The National Scheme Strategy 2031 makes clear that artificial intelligence and digital technologies are no longer peripheral issues — they are now central to both healthcare delivery and regulatory risk.
Ahpra explicitly identifies AI, telehealth and social media as double-edged developments, capable of improving access and efficiency while also introducing new forms of risk. These include misuse, ethical concerns, data privacy issues and the growing influence of non-regulated or offshore providers operating at scale.
The strategy anticipates a future where technologies such as AI-assisted diagnostics, robotic procedures and bioengineering will increasingly shape clinical decision-making and patient care — raising new questions around accountability, oversight and professional standards.
At the same time, Ahpra signals that it will actively adopt AI within its own regulatory processes, including using technology to improve efficiency, analyse data and identify emerging risks across the system.
This is reinforced within the harm prevention pillar, where the regulator commits to:
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using AI to scan online environments
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strengthening data and insights capability
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detecting patterns of risk earlier and more effectively.
A move to a more modern regulatory model
Beyond the three core themes, the strategy introduces ‘strategic attributes’ that define how regulation will be delivered.
These include a stronger focus on:
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user experience, with processes designed to be timely, transparent and empathetic
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data and intelligence to support decision-making
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elevating community voices in system design
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collaboration across the health system
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governance and stewardship of the scheme.
The National Scheme Strategy 2031 reflects a regulator seeking to evolve from a primarily reactive model to one that is more proactive, data-driven and system-focused. It also signals a more explicit recognition of the broader impacts of regulation — both in terms of preventing harm and ensuring that regulatory processes themselves do not create unintended negative consequences.
Concerns about the notifications process – particularly around timeliness, transparency and practitioner experience – have been widely raised across the sector. Ahpra’s renewed focus on these areas suggests an effort to address these issues, though its impact will ultimately depend on how the changes are implemented in practice.
