The Australasian College of Paramedicine (the College) is pleased to provide members with an update on our ongoing advocacy efforts with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), following the release of the Occupational and Skills Classification Australia (OSCA) maintenance strategy earlier this week.
Throughout the ABS’s major reclassification project, the College worked closely with key stakeholders to ensure paramedicine is appropriately represented within the national occupational standards. We welcomed the amendments made to acknowledge paramedicine as a health profession and we view this as a positive step forward.
The College remains firmly committed to ensuring the OSCA framework continues to reflect the full breadth of paramedicine’s capabilities and its evolving nature. Our advocacy has, and will remain, focused on securing a classification that recognises not only the clinical expertise of paramedics, but also paramedics' roles in preventive health care, education, research, and leadership to support more accurate representation for the purpose of workforce planning and policy development.
Looking ahead, the College will continue to collaborate with the ABS on future amendments to ensure paramedicine data is accurately captured and valued within national data systems. This ongoing engagement reflects our strategic priority to advocate for the profession and support its growth through evidence-based policy and representation.
The next Australian Census is scheduled for 2026 and we will communicate relevant information to our members.
Get unlimited access to hundreds of ACP's top courses for your professional development.
Join Now
The College is the peak professional body representing and supporting paramedics and student paramedics across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand since 1973.
The College acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land and sea in which we live and work, we recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and culture and pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.
The College acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand.