Complementary health issues: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner regulation.

An aspect of the much needed efforts to "close the gap" in Indigenous health disadvantage in Australia has been workforce reform. This has included targeted training for general practitioners and has also been characterised by sensitising of psychiatrists to the particular mental health needs of persons of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background. It has also incorporated increasing involvement by Indigenous persons in providing health services. In 2012, each Australian State and Territory constituted the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board to regulate and register Indigenous health practitioners. This marked an important recognition of the contribution able to be made by this complementary component of the Australian health workforce which is particularly enabled to understand and meet the needs of Indigenous persons. This column chronicles the first steps of the new regulatory board and identifies issues which face it.