The regulation of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in Australia

The Australian Government has recently recommended that all jurisdictions regulate Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners along the lines of the Chinese Medicine Registration Act 2000 (Vic). In light of this recommendation, this article examines whether the Victorian legislation is an effective means of regulating a group of practitioners who operate under an alternative health care system. While the main focus is on the challenges of regulating of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, the article also considers the broader issue of whether a statutory approach is the appropriate method of regulating unregistered complementary and alternative medicine practitioners.