Regulatory Report
ATMS UPDATE
Christine Pope | ATMS Treasurer
We were delighted to finally be able to run the launch event for the Friends of Complementary and Traditional Therapies . It was a mini-expo in the Dame Enid Lyons Alcove at Parliament House and ran from 10-2pm on Tuesday 22 June , 2021 . The expo had four massage therapists providing seated massage and tastings of herbal teas , organised by Peter Berryman , and supplements tastings with Natalie Hume . Christine Pope also offered bioimpedence analysis through Quadscan . The Expo was a collaborative effort , with students from Evolve College in Canberra and Metagenics providing supplements for tastings .
A special note of thanks is due to our massage team , headed up by Rosie from Evolve College and supported by ATMS member Jacqueline Lusk , and students Tammy , Hayley and Craig .
Given the restrictions , we were limited to 30 people in the space at once , so the event was a little smaller than originally planned , but over the day we easily saw 80-90 people including a number of the sponsors of the event , such as the member for Mayo , Rebekah Sharkie . Independent member for Warringah Zali Steggall was also able to join us for a quick seated massage .
The mini-expo was a good opportunity to give politicians and their staff a taste of the benefits of natural medicine . Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive and over the day word of mouth resulted in a number of people arriving to see if they could organise a massage without an appointment .
Advocacy efforts continue in regard to the NTREAP review , with a further briefing expected in early August as part of the consultation . Disappointingly , timelines continue to be delayed by the COVID pandemic , and we are looking at decisions being made in early 2022 on part of the first tranche of therapies . ATMS had a number of meetings in Canberra in conjunction with the miniexpo to continue to advocate for the return of rebates for natural therapies . We are continuing to follow up with key crossbenchers in their electorates before the next round of sitting weeks in Canberra . It is possible that COVID restrictions may not permit another trip in August .
Our advocacy has focused on ensuring that members have the right to practise through lockdowns or that they are able to return to practice as soon as possible . This is complicated by working across eight jurisdictions with different definitions . We are also working with COSBOA to advocate for a National Standardised Approach in the future so we are clear when we can practise and in what circumstances we should consider closing our practices temporarily .