The COVID-19 pandemic tested Australia's health system’s capacity. However, the circumstances and need to respond quickly also offered opportunities for reform and improvements. One such opportunity is to strengthen and enhance the size, capacity and capability of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce.

The plan’s target is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to represent 3.43% of the national health workforce by 2031. This matches the expected percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the working population.

Governments and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health sector co-designed the plan. It includes a wide range of actions across the health system to attract, recruit and retain First Nations people over the next decade.

This plan is guided by 6 overarching strategic directions. These directions support the ongoing development of the size, capability and capacity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce. The strategic directions are:

1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are represented and supported across all health disciplines, roles and functions.
2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce has the necessary skills, capacity and leadership across all health disciplines, roles and functions.
3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are employed in culturally safe and responsive workplace environments that are free of racism across health and all related sectors.
4. There are sufficient numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying and completing health qualifications to meet the future health care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
5. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health students have successful transitions into the workforce and access clear career pathway options.
6. Information and data are provided and shared across systems to assist health workforce planning, policy development, monitoring and evaluation, and continuous quality improvement.

This plan supersedes the previous National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce strategic framework 2016–2023. It combines a refreshed strategic framework and implementation plan into one document.