In 2010 a national body was established to meet the future challenges of providing a health workforce that responds to the needs of the Australian community. Health Workforce Australia (HWA) will develop policy and deliver programs across four main areas—workforce planning, policy, and research; clinical education; innovation and reform of the health workforce; and the recruitment and retention of international health professionals. HWA has commenced work to develop a national training plan (NTP) for a number of health professionals, including nurses and midwives. The NTP is required by the government to identify the numbers of health professionals that Australia will.
