Close
09 Oct 2025
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) today announced the appointment of Wakaya Distinguished Professor Yin Paradies, a renowned Aboriginal race scholar, to lead the evaluation and development of the National Scheme's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety priorities.
Professor Paradies will spearhead the evaluation of the current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy 2020-2025 and develop its next five-year iteration, alongside identifying strategic objectives for the cultural safety priority area within the National Scheme Strategy.
As Australia's only Professor of Race Relations, Professor Paradies brings unparalleled expertise in anti-racism research and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy. His appointment reinforces Ahpra's commitment to eliminating racism from healthcare and ensuring cultural safety becomes the norm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples accessing health services.
‘This work is fundamental to our mission of protecting the public through effective health practitioner regulation,’ Gamilaroi National Director, Jayde Fuller of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy Unit said.
‘Professor Paradies' lived experience as a Wakaya man, combined with his world-leading research expertise, positions him uniquely to guide our ongoing efforts to eliminate racism from Australia's health system.’
Professor Paradies has authored over 270 publications, conducted the first global systematic review and meta-analysis on racism and health, and recently developed Ahpra's groundbreaking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy.
The National Scheme regulates Australia's 960,000 registered health practitioners across 16 health professions. Through its regulatory framework, including professional codes of conduct that embed cultural safety requirements, the Scheme is uniquely positioned to drive systemic change across the healthcare workforce.
‘Cultural safety must be defined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples themselves," Professor Paradies said. "This evaluation and strategy development process will centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices to ensure regulatory mechanisms effectively address both individual and systemic racism in healthcare.’
The project, spanning approximately six months, will employ the rights-based Indigenist Critical Policy Analysis framework and involve extensive consultation with stakeholders.
This work builds on the inaugural 2020-2025 Strategy, which was developed following Ahpra's 2018 Statement of Intent, a commitment to assist in eliminating racism from the health system and achieving health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by 2031.
The final strategy is expected to be delivered in February 2026, with opportunities for domestic and international presentation of findings to advance global understanding of regulatory approaches to cultural safety and anti-racism in healthcare.
Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said Professor Paradies was an ideal choice to lead the development of the next Strategy.
‘Ahpra is committed to assist in eliminating racism from the health system and we are honoured to have Professor Paradies lead and guide this important work to ensure cultural safety is at the centre of the work of all practitioners in Australia,’ he said.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) administers the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, working with National Boards to regulate health practitioners in the public interest and facilitate access to safer healthcare.
For more information about Ahpra's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy, visit: https://www.ahpra.gov.au/About-Ahpra/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-Health-Strategy/
‘This work is fundamental to our mission of protecting the public through effective health practitioner regulation,’ - Gamilaroi National Director, Jayde Fuller, of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy Unit.
