The initial education and training of registered and specialist nurses is principally the responsibility of universities, primarily funded by the Commonwealth education portfolio. The training of enrolled nurses occurs in the Technical and Further Education Institutions of the States.
State Governments have a direct interest in their role as the dominant employers of nurses.
Nursing workforce issues are matters for both the Commonwealth and State health portfolios. These various responsibilities in relation to education policy, funding and employment all impact on nursing education. In line with the global movement of preparatory nursing courses into universities, in August 1984 the Commonwealth announced its in-principle support for the transfer of registered nurse preparation from the hospitals into the higher education sector. This transfer was a staged process with different States changing at different times, but the transfer was complete by the end of 1993. In 1994, a review of nursing education in Australian universities examined the outcomes of this transition, in particular, the provision of wider professional preparation and increased career choices for nurses.