Completed July 2025
The Australian Naturopathic Council is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Naturopaths Regulation Research Project, a significant achievement that reflects five years of dedicated effort by representatives of the Australian Naturopathic Council (ANC) and independent consultant Dr Anne-Louise Carlton. This comprehensive initiative stands as a testament to the sustained commitment, collaboration, and perseverance of all involved, and marks a substantial milestone for the naturopathic profession. The project not only provides an update to, but also extends upon, the 2005 Lin Report (a copy of this is found on the ARONAH website).
It presents an in-depth and systematic analysis of the Australian naturopathy and Western Herbal Medicine professions, explores the experiences of consumers accessing naturopathic and WHM services, and examines the education landscape, professional associations, and representative groups. Additionally, it delivers a comprehensive risk analysis of naturopathic practice, providing invaluable insights for the sector.
A most sincere thanks needs to go to:
- the report authors: Dr Anne-Louise Carlton, Dr Jenny Carè, Professor Emeritus Stephen P. Myers, Dr Angela Doolan, Sophia Gerontakos PhD Candidate, and Associate Professor Amie Steel;
- the representatives of the ANC, who attended regular 4 weekly meetings for the entire 5 year duration;
- the individual members of the naturopathic community, who crowd funded this project back in 2020;
- and Marcus Blackmore who matched this crowd funding
- There are many others who worked on this project, and they are acknowledged in the report itself. The ANC is grateful to all involved.
The report is dedicated to the late Professor Emeritus Stephen P. Myers (co-author) who was a champion of the naturopathic profession.
Citation (download below):
Historical
The Naturopaths Regulation Research Project builds upon and updates the 2005 Lin Report. Amongst other things, it will encompass a thorough and systematic examination of the Australian naturopathy/Western Herbal Medicine workforce, the consumers who use naturopathic services, as well as the education landscape, the associations and groups that represent the profession, and a risk analysis of the practice of naturopathy.
The scope of the research is to encompass naturopathic practice including WHM practice and practitioners.
Information bulletins will be released on a regular basis at key stages of the project, and you can read more about why this is important for the profession of naturopathy here in our news article.