Right now in Australia, graduates from medical and allied health courses are being denied their registration because of unjust roadblocks that verge on racism.

These are graduates who have undertaken their studies in Australia. Many of them have successfully completed placements in hospitals across the country. Additionally, some of them even have international experience.

Despite being educated in english, many are required to pass an additional english language test before being granted professional registration from the health regulator, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) This test is on top of one they’ve already completed to undergo their tertiary studies in Australia. It is also arbitrarily applied - depending on where you grew up, you might be exempt.

AHPRA are responsible for deciding who gets to be nurses or paramedics on the front line of our health system - and they are locking out people who could put their skills to use right now, by forcing them to sit a difficult, expensive and unfair English exam. 

We’ve heard from individuals with excellent English proficiency who have graduated from Australian tertiary institutions, who have successfully passed their placements and who have even been asked by the organisations with whom they did placements, to come back and work for them - but they can’t get to work, because they didn’t pass an English test as demanded by AHPRA.

Stand with your future nurses and paramedics, and help us send a clear message to AHPRA: 

We should not be penalising people who have already:

• Passed English tests to get into their universities,
• Successfully completed degrees and courses in Australian institutions
• Successfully completed workplace placements

 Our health system cannot afford to be racist. Not during the fight against a global pandemic threatening all of our lives, or ever.  

Together, we can stand up against this injustice. The Australian Senate is reviewing the guidelines for accreditation next month. This review could change lives.

Call on AHPRA to revise their guidelines for accreditation so that unjust barriers do not lock out diverse skilled medical professionals.