Professional frameworks for practice in Australia and New Zealand

This chapter outlines current and evolving professional and regulatory frameworks guiding midwifery practice in Australia and New Zealand. Regulatory frameworks, governed by legislation, protect the public by ensuring that health practitioners provide safe and competent care. They provide the statutory boundaries for midwifery practice and define the extent of professional autonomy each country affords to midwifery. Professional frameworks, developed by the midwifery professional associations in each country, set out the profession’s expectations of midwives and provide a guide to professional practice, including articulation of philosophy, values, standards and professional behaviour. Regulatory frameworks and professional frameworks both contribute to ensuring high-quality midwifery care for women and their newborns. This chapter explains the relationships between legislation, regulatory frameworks and professional frameworks in both countries, and how these frameworks affect midwifery practice.