ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some definitional issues arising out of the regulation of the complementary medicine professions. It looks at the national criteria and process for determining whether occupational regulation via statute is required for currently unregulated health professions and considers some examples and difficulties arising out of self-regulation of unregulated professions. The chapter also examines the Victorian model of health practitioner registration and the Victorian review of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and provides an overview of the recently passed Chinese Medicine Registration Act 2000. The Victorian Review of TCM collected risks data from a variety of sources including patients, practitioners, professional associations, complaints bodies, court reports and a literature search of adverse events that have occurred both in Australia and overseas. Professional associations and other self-regulatory bodies can seek institutional support for their self-regulatory systems and thereby establish greater incentives for participation by practitioners.
