policy drivers; both national policies
(eg funded education and training places) and local policies (eg work place-based retention policies).
Population ageing and ageing of the health workforce is not a dominant influence. In recent years,
the Australian health care workforce has grown in excess of overall workforce growth, despite an
ageing health workforce. We also note that current levels of workforce supply compare favourably
with many OECD countries. The future of the health workforce will be shaped by a number of
complex interacting factors.