National competency standards for registered nurses were
first adopted by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council
(ANMC) in the early 1990s. The ANMC was a peak national
and midwifery organisation established in 1992 to develop a
national approach to nursing and midwifery regulation. The
ANMC worked in conjunction with the state and territory
nursing and midwifery authorities (NMRAs) to produce nationalstandards – an integral component of the regulatory framework– to help nurses and midwives deliver safe and competent care.
The ANMC officially became the Australian Nursing and
Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) on 24 November
2010. The name change reflected ANMC’s appointment as
the independent accrediting authority for the nursing and
midwifery professions under the new National Registration andAccreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) that came into
effect on 1 July 2010 (18 October 2010 in Western Australia).