The regulation of nursing in Australia: a comparative analysis

This article uses the International Council of Nurses framework for nursing regulation to examine Nurses Acts in Australian States and Territories. It measures their compliance with the standards contained in the framework and exposes the anomalies among jurisdictions in spite of mutual recognition legislation now in force in all jurisdictions, including the Commonwealth. It also provides examples of difficulties encountered with cross-border practice and concludes that there is an urgent need for national nursing legislation.