Undertaking a comprehensive national review of qualifications and skill set in health administration and general practice will ensure they are aligned with current industry needs, regulatory requirements and evolving patient-care methodologies. We will also create clear and sustainable career pathways to support existing and future growth in the industry.
Key objectives
- Align qualifications with contemporary workforce demands, regulatory requirements, technological advancements and patient management practices.
- Improve workforce capability to ensure that graduates meet current industry expectations and are job-ready.
- Enhance training pathways to support clear career progression and increase workforce attraction and retention in health administration and medical practice management roles.
Project scope
We will review 4 qualifications, 1 skill set and 11 units of competency which support training for a range of job roles including:
- health administrators
- health practice managers
- medical practice assistants
- medical receptionists / secretary.
The project will consider job tasks, performance expectations, assessment conditions and the incorporation of new tools and techniques shaping the future of dentistry.
Qualifications and units of competency
Qualifications
- HLT37315 Certificate III in Health Administration: reflects the role of administrative workers in the health industry. These workers follow known routines and procedures, taking responsibility for their own work under general supervision. They combine communication, customer service and technical skills and use discretion and judgement to adapt and transfer their skills to different situations.
- HLT47321 Certificate IV in Health Administration: reflects the roles of individuals who work in operational or team leading roles in health administration. The skills in this qualification must be applied in accordance with federal, state or territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.
- HLT47715 Certificate IV in Medical Practice Assisting: prepares individuals for operational support roles such as medical practice assistant, medical receptionist and medical secretary. These roles are crucial in managing daily patient interactions, administrative tasks, patient coordination and frontline services essential to practice efficiency.
- HLT57715 Diploma of Practice Management: equips health practice managers for overall practice management including financial management, risk management, compliance adherence, human resources management and strategic operational oversight. This qualification underpins effective management of increasingly complex healthcare practices.
The purpose of the HLT37315 Certificate III in Health Administration and HLT47321 Certificate IV in Health Administration qualifications is to support multiple related occupations. The purpose of the HLT47715 Certificate IV in Medical Practice Assisting and HLT57715 Diploma of Practice Management qualifications is to support a specific occupation.
Skill set
Units of competency
Fact sheet
Project Governance
A Technical Committee (TC) comprising of industry experts has been established to provide specialised advice for this project. Members were carefully selected based on their relevant expertise and experience in areas critical to the project.
View the Terms of Reference and Technical Committee members.
The TC will work with HumanAbility in this project to:
- identify relevant stakeholders to consult with about the project
- provide insights on proposed communication and consultation strategies
- provide technical knowledge on the skills and knowledge required to meet graduate outcomes and workforce needs.
Our Project Consultation Strategy has been finalised and is available to download.
Project development is underway to undertake a comprehensive review and update the qualifications and skill set in health administration and general practice to ensure they align with current industry needs, regulatory requirements and evolving patient-care methodologies, and create clear and sustainable career pathways to support existing and future growth in the industry.
We will engage in the following information gathering activities as part of the functional analysis:
- desktop research
- review available information on industry standards, working conditions, and employer recruitment selection criteria
- 16 virtual workshops to:
- exploring the skills organisations need
- discuss foreseeable changes in the sector
- understanding functions and sub functions of roles.
Vocational Educators, Trainers and Assessors
We're calling on trainers, educators and assessors of vocational qualifications in health administration and general practice.
We need your feedback on existing qualifications, skill sets and units. We want to know what's working, what's not working and where things could change and improvements made.
Please submit your feedback by completing this form.
Start survey
Your feedback will influence the design of national qualification training products and contribute to resolving current workforce issues.
Draft materials will be developed and available for feedback during the Consultation stage.
February to March 2026
We would like to hear from you. Your perspectives will contribute to shaping the outcomes of this project and ensure alignment with industry needs.
We will run 8 consultation face-to-face workshops and 3 online workshops to discuss the drafts and gather your feedback. All responses are important and welcome, whether you agree or disagree with the proposed changes or if you have suggested changes for improvement. We want to hear from you.
Before we hold the consultation workshops, we'll host a 1.5 hour online information session about the workshops which will include what to expect, who should attend and how to help us spread the word about the project.
Workshops and survey
Join our public workshops or complete our survey above to share your perspectives on our project's purpose.
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Online information session: Thursday 5th February at 11:30am-1:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Microsoft Teams
Register to attend
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Workshop 1: Tuesday 10th February at 9:30am to 3:00pm (local time)
Location: HumanAbility Offices, Level 6, 80 Collins Street, Melbourne
Register to attend
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Workshop 2: Thursday 12th February at 9:30am to 3:00pm (local time)
Location: RACV Hobart, 154-156 Collins Street, Hobart
Register to attend
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Workshop 3: Tuesday 17th February at 9:30am to 3:00pm (local time)
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Northbridge, 100 James Street, Northbridge Perth
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Workshop 4: Thursday 19 February at 9:30am to 3:00pm (local time)
Location: Majestic Roof Garden Hotel, 55 Frome Street, Adelaide
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Workshop 5: Monday 23rd February at 1:30pm to 4:30pm (AEDT)
Location: Microsoft Teams
Register to attend
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Workshop 6: Tuesday 24th February at 1:00pm to 4:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Microsoft Teams
Register to attend
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Workshop 7: Thursday 26th February at 10:00am to 1:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Microsoft Teams
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Workshop 8: Tuesday 3rd March at 9:30am to 3:00pm (local time)
Location: 2 Market Street, Sydney
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Workshop 9: Tuesday 3rd March at 9:30am to 12:00pm (local time)
Location: ISACNT Offices, Suite 201, Level 2, The Avenue, 12 Salonika Street, Darwin
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Workshop 10: Thursday 5th March at 9:30am to 3:00pm (local time)
Location: Hotel Indigo, 27-35 Turbot Street, Brisbane
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Workshop 11: Thursday 5th March at 9:30am to 3:00pm (local time)
Location: Novotel Canberra, 65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra
Register to attend