President ’ s Report ( cont .)
President ’ s Report ( cont .)
journal . The team has already signed up five partners as part of this program and this will make it easier operationally for the partners to interact with ATMS . It will also provide the support we need to ensure events are affordable for members and viable for the association .
The other area that will enable future growth of the association is adding new modalities and accredited colleges . In 2024 Counselling has been returned as a modality , which is particularly important as there is both a critical need for this modality and a significant number of graduates . A recent addition to the list of Education Providers is RMDY , who are offering an equivalent Homeopathy Advanced Diploma .
One of my particular areas of focus on the Board has been Advocacy , from the perspectives both of promoting our industry with annual campaigns like Natural Medicine Week and of focusing on government advocacy .
Natural Medicine Week is now in its 9th year , and this year had a reach of 4.2 million consumers . There were 79 events , 8,690 participants , and 90 new blogs and recipes added to the site . In 2024 we added a natural medicine “ Top Ten Tips ” download , which has assisted in building our email list , which we will use in 2025 to promote our updated “ Friends of Natural Medicine ” newsletter and podcast . There will be a callout for members who would like to be included .
In the last 12 months ATMS has successfully advocated for members on a range of issues including :
1 ) Working with MMA to ensure that massage therapists were able to access Home Care Packages for their clients .
2 ) Successfully defending the Accredited Nutritionists trademark . The Dietitians have formally withdrawn their application , which means that we won ’ t have to continue to fight it through an appeal process .
3 ) Continuing to advocate for Chinese Medicine practitioners to be included as Allied Health practitioners on the same basis as other registered professionals .
4 ) Submissions to the TGA on rescheduling herbs , homeopathics and nutrients . Recent submissions included B6 , Atropa Belladonna and Comfrey .
5 ) Continuing advocacy for finalising NTREAP and the return of natural therapies to their rightful place in private health insurance .
ATMS is a member of the Council of Small Business Organisations of
Australia ( COSBOA ), which is one of the four peak business organisations in the country despite having small business as its focus . This year COSBOA set up a Health Expert Panel , which recognises that healthcare is the largest section of the economy , and more importantly that one in seven small businesses is in the healthcare sector . Going forward , ATMS will be represented , as I am chairing the Health Expert Group . The focus will be on ensuring that small businesses have access to government programs such as the NDIS , DVA and Home Care . We aim to emphasise that accreditation should be managed through associations like ATMS , rather than requiring additional costly processes for small businesses .
Thank you for the opportunity to represent natural medicine and ATMS . particularly those who voted for me for the past three terms . I would encourage you to stay involved with your association and particularly take advantage of the opportunities involved with Natural Medicine Week to support your practice in the future . Contribute a blog or a recipe , apply to be an ambassador or run an event . Get involved and take the opportunity to build your networks and your industry !
Christine Pope President