Wakaya professor Yin Paradies, a renowned Aboriginal race scholar, has been appointed by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency to lead the evaluation and development of the National Scheme's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety priorities.
Announced Thursday, the appointment will see Professor Paradies spearhead the evaluation of AHPRA's current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy 2020-2025 and develop its next five-year iteration, alongside identifying strategic objectives for the cultural safety priority area within the National Scheme Strategy.
AHPRA administers the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, working with National Boards to regulate health practitioners in the public interest and facilitate access to safer healthcare.
AHPRA said Professor Paradies brings "unparalleled" expertise in anti-racism research and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy.
His appointment, the Agency said, reinforces its commitment to "eliminating racism from healthcare and ensuring cultural safety becomes the norm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples accessing health services".
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy Unit National Director, Jayde Fuller, said the work is "fundamental to our mission of protecting the public through effective health practitioner regulation".
"Professor Paradies' lived experience as a Wakaya man, combined with his world-leading research expertise, positions him uniquely to guide our ongoing efforts to eliminate racism from Australia's health system," the proud Gamilaroi woman said.
Professor Paradies has authored more than 270 publications, conducted the first global systematic review and meta-analysis on racism and health, and recently developed AHPRA's groundbreaking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anti-Racism Policy.
The National Scheme regulates Australia's 960,000 registered health practitioners across 16 health professions. Through its regulatory framework, including professional codes of conduct that embed cultural safety requirements, the Scheme is positioned to drive systemic change across the healthcare workforce.
"Cultural safety must be defined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples themselves," Professor Paradies said.
"This evaluation and strategy development process will centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices to ensure regulatory mechanisms effectively address both individual and systemic racism in healthcare.'
The project, spanning approximately six months, will employ the rights-based Indigenist Critical Policy Analysis framework and involve consultation with stakeholders.
AHPRA said the work builds on the inaugural 2020-2025 Strategy, which was developed following the Agency's 2018 Statement of Intent, a commitment to assist in eliminating racism from the health system and achieving health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by 2031.
The final strategy is expected to be delivered in February 2026, with opportunities for domestic and international presentation of findings to advance global understanding of regulatory approaches to cultural safety and anti-racism in healthcare.
AHPRA chief executive Justin Untersteiner said Professor Paradies was "an ideal choice" to lead the development of the next Strategy.
"AHPRA is committed to assist in eliminating racism from the health system and we are honoured to have Professor Paradies lead and guide this important work to ensure cultural safety is at the centre of the work of all practitioners in Australia," he said.
