Minister for Health and Aged Care, doorstop - 18 June 2024

JOURNALIST: Thank you Minister Butler, what are your thoughts on the recent ban reinstatement for chiropractors not being able to perform on babies under the age of two?
 
MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE, MARK BUTLER: I'm reassured by this, and health ministers from all jurisdictions and I had a discussion about this last week and specifically called for this action by the Chiropractic Board. I'm very glad they have reinstated the suspension of this practice. We've asked for an urgent explanation as to why the pause was lifted in the first place. I look forward to further engagement with the Board but I'm glad that parents can have confidence that this practice that has no evidence to support its efficacy has been suspended again.
 
JOURNALIST: What education and resources will be provided for parents seeking safe alternatives?
 
BUTLER: These have been in place now for the last five years since the pause on this practice was first put in place. I encourage parents to talk to their clinicians, their doctors, and other infant nurses they might be engaging with about their children about good, safe alternatives that have good evidence behind them. In the meantime, we're still seeking that urgent explanation from the chiropractic board as to why they saw fit to lift that suspension in the first place.
 
JOURNALIST: What measures will be put in place to ensure compliance in the future?
 
BUTLER: We've asked for an urgent explanation from the Board. We look forward to receiving that. All boards are governed by the national law around regulation and registration of health professionals. It's in that vain that we asked for the urgent explanation in the first place and the resumption of that suspension of a practice that has been seen through two separate reviews over the last five years not to have a strong evidence base.
 
JOURNALIST: Were there any specific incidents or events that influenced this decision?
 
BUTLER: We asked for the urgent explanation. The practice was suspended five years ago, following a very thorough review that showed there was no evidence to support this sort of manipulation being undertaken, particularly for infants under the age of two. There was a further review in the last couple of years that kind of the same conclusion. So, when health ministers discussed this issue last week, it seemed pretty clear to us that there was no basis for the suspension to have been lifted in the first place. I'm glad it's been put back in place, we're still looking forward to receiving an urgent explanation from the Board as to why they took the action they did.
 
JOURNALIST: Wonderful, thank you Minister Butler.
 
BUTLER: Thanks very much.