Governments, professional bodies, regulators, education providers, registered training organisations, and employers will support, fund and lead this work. Implementation will be in close collaboration with the nursing profession, consumers, carers and other implementation partners, including all organisations that affect the nursing workforce and other health professionals, operating at local, state, territory and national levels. Depending on the priority and action, partners may work collaboratively or in parallel. Collective will, commitment and action will drive effective and sustainable change and ensure the nursing workforce remains at the forefront of delivering health and aged care services for all Australian communities. This active participation and engagement will help to improve the systems in which nurses operate to make positive changes in their professional lives and careers.
Each action in the strategy lists key stakeholders responsible for, or having a role in, implementation. Table 3 describes key roles and responsibilities.
| Stakeholder categories | Key role and responsibility |
| Governments | Commonwealth, state and territory, and local governments share responsibility for funding, operating and managing the health system. See Appendix A for more detail on government responsibilities. Other areas where government involvement is required include education, employment and workplace relations, home affairs, social services and veterans’ affairs. |
| Regulators | NMBA and ANMAC are responsible for regulating the profession including setting the standards and policies nurses must meet, including education standards. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission are responsible for regulating health and aged care services, which nurses deliver. |
| Education providers/registered training organisations | Responsible for developing, designing and delivering education and training programs, including co-design initiatives involving professional bodies and other relevant groups, to appropriately educate and train the nursing workforce. |
| Professional and industry bodies | Responsible for representing, supporting and communicating with members, industry and partners. This category includes HumanAbility, colleges, unions and other peak bodies. |
| Employers | Responsible for delivering health and aged care services, working environments, employment, supervision and support to attract and retain the nursing workforce. Includes governments where nurses are employed in public settings. |
| Nursing profession/workforce | Responsible for engaging and providing leadership to support achievement of the strategy objectives. |
| Consumer and carer organisations | Responsible for representing people with lived experience of the health and aged care system and ensuring the needs and preferences of consumers and carers are central to development and implementation of nursing policy. |