Midwifery Futures: The Australian Midwifery Workforce Project

Final report

The final report Midwifery Futures: Building the Australian midwifery workforce was published on 23 October 2024.

The report, delivered by Burnet Institute in collaboration with the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers of Australia and New Zealand, aimed to review the current state of Australia’s midwifery workforce and generate information to support policy, regulatory, industrial and educational change in midwifery service provision.

A review of previous reports and the research conducted found that the midwifery workforce in Australia is in crisis and change is needed.

Midwifery Futures makes 32 recommendations in five key areas:

• Increased visibility, governance and leadership
• Growing the midwifery workforce
• Support the midwifery workforce
• Improve data to support workforce planning, and
• Scale-up midwifery models of care

Resources

• Download the full report – Midwifery Futures: Building the Australian midwifery workforce (3.45 MB,PDF)
• Read the recommendations
• Read the media release
• Frequently asked questions

Background

In 2023, The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) partnered with the Burnet Institute to conduct a comprehensive review of the midwifery workforce.

The Midwifery Futures Project (2023-2024) was funded by NMBA, who worked in collaboration with the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers of Australia and New Zealand (ANZCCNMO).

The review of Australia’s midwifery workforce sector aimed to set the foundation for sustainability in the profession amid concerns growth is stalling.

The project’s goals were to:

1. Understand midwifery prescribing in relation to midwifery scope of practice and regulation in Australia and compare this to the international context.
2. Identify and explore issues influencing the number of midwives in Australia, including educational pathways, workforce participation, models of care and workforce trends.
3. Identify and explore workforce factors including demand for midwifery continuity of care, Birthing on Country and other public or private models of care and access and acceptability for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
4. Examine issues and opportunities in the recruitment, retention, and attrition of midwives in Australia, with a particular focus on the retention of the existing midwifery workforce, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander midwifery workforce and the rural and regional workforce distribution.
5. Identify gaps in the education, training, skills, and experience of the midwifery workforce that impacts the provision of the full scope of practice delivering safe, effective care across all service contexts (particularly rural and remote contexts).