Kate Leaver reports on the latest developments in Health Workforce Australia's (HWA) reform agenda. It's more than three decades since a group of 130 remote area nurses congregated in Alice Springs with a collective goal in mind; getting the government ...

Final year students rally over cuts to Tasmania's graduate nurse intake, Linda Belardi reports. One-third of Tasmania's annual graduate nurse intake has been slashed, due to public cost cutting. The Tasmanian Minister for Health, Michelle O'Byrne announced a 2012 employment ...

Nursing dean calls on the profession to break its policy silence, writes Linda Belardi. A ''virtual policy'' school to encourage the active involvement of nurses in public policy is to be established. The school will be an international collaboration between ...

Government announces first strategic review of health and medical research in a decade. The 2011 Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, is to chair an independent review of health and medical research in Australia and recommend a 10-year strategic health ...

Proposals to remove midwifery qualifications for child and family health nurses have attracted widespread criticism. Linda Belardi reports. Child and family health nurses have slammed recommendations by the Productivity Commission to remove midwifery qualifications from their training. Nurses predominantly in ...

Australia's pharmaceutical benefits scheme is being challenged by lobbying from US industry, writes Patricia Ranald. Giant US pharmaceutical and tobacco corporations are setting the agenda at negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement (TPPA) between Australia, the US, New ...

Survey findings confirm the need for a national policy framework to support educational development, writes Linda Belardi. Cost, release from work and time are the greatest barriers to further education, Australia's first national survey on the education and career pathways ...

New agency must tackle nursing shortage, says union. The new National Workforce and Productivity Agency will provide a pathway to help address Australia's critical shortage of nurses, the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) has said. Minister for Training and Skills, Senator ...

Legislation to create the National Health Performance Authority has passed the Senate but the new watchdog will be reviewed in a year. A new watchdog keeping an eye on Australia's health services will itself be independently reviewed after a year, ...

Doctors say proposed legislation to legalise euthanasia offers no protection for patients. Opposition is mounting to the latest moves in South Australia to legalise euthanasia. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Law Society of South Australia have already opposed ...