Shouldn’t the professional associations register members?
The naturopathic and herbal medicine professions are currently self-regulated largely through the professional associations but standards such as minimum education requirements and complaints handling processes vary considerably. Professional associations do an excellent job of promoting and advocating for their professions but a conflict of interest arises when an organisation is trying to protect the interests of both the public and the profession. Whilst this arrangement has not been tested in Australia it has been legally tested and failed in other jurisdictions – such as South Africa – where it was mandated that registration of health professions such as naturopaths and herbalists needed to be carried out by an organisation independent of the profession.
