Nurses and midwives in Australia

The workforce numbers

There are around 450,000 registered nurses and midwives in Australia, making it the largest clinical workforce in the country. In 2020, there were around:

• 337,000 registered nurses
• 72,000 enrolled nurses
• 6,500 midwives with midwife-only registration
• 28,800 midwives with dual registration.

See details about nursing and midwifery workforce numbers in Australia in our national health workforce dataset fact sheets.

Workforce growth

The nursing and midwifery workforce continues to grow at a healthy rate.

We expect demand for nurses and midwives to grow further over the next decade, as Australia’s population changes.

Regulation and registration

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) regulates the nursing and midwifery professions through the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.

Ahpra works with national boards for specific professions. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) regulates nursing registrations.

Ahpra maintains a publicly accessible and searchable national register of nurses and midwives registered with the NMBA. The register also identifies:

• any conditions or restrictions on professional practice
• nurses who are endorsed as a nurse practitioner.

To work as a nurse or midwife in Australia, you need to have completed an approved course and be registered with the NMBA. Becoming registered shows that you meet the professional standards for nurses or midwives.

See the NMBA’s site for details on the registration and endorsement process.

Regulatory bodies

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra)

Aphra works with 15 national boards, including the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, to help protect the public by regulating Australia's registered health practitioners.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)

The NMBA operates as an independent authority and its functions include:

• overseeing practitioner registration
• developing professional standards, codes and guidelines
• handling notifications and complaints in relation to the profession
• assessing overseas-trained practitioners who wish to practice in Australia
• approving accreditation standards and courses of study.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)

The NMBA appointed ANMAC to be the independent accrediting authority for nursing and midwifery education.

ANMAC is also the skills assessing authority for nurses and midwives seeking to migrate under the Australian Government’s General Skilled Migration program.

Professional organisations

There are over 50 professional associations for nurses and midwives in Australia, catering to different specialities as well as the profession as a whole.

Medicare access for nurses and midwives

Since 1 November 2010, eligible nurse practitioners and midwives have been able to:

• provide services for certain items under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
• write prescriptions for certain medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

This improves Australians’ access to primary health care services and promotes multidisciplinary team-based approaches to health care.

Services Australia has Medicare information for nurses and midwives, including eligibility requirements and guides on bulk billing. Its Health Professional Education Resources Gateway also has guides on MBS items for nurse practitioners and midwives.

PBS Online has information for PBS prescribers, including nurse practitioners and midwives.

MBS Online contains a listing of the Medicare services subsidised by the Australian Government and available to nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives.

In your state or territory

State and territory governments play a vital role in providing nursing and midwifery services in their jurisdictions. Read about nursing and midwifery in your state or territory:

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia.