The trade agreement includes mutual recognition of each other’s education awards – now for professional qualifications

This is important, “so Australian and Indian graduates will be able to practice professionally in either country,” Education Minister Jason Clare said in Delhi, Thursday.

The trade agreement requires governments to create a professional services working group to “engage respective professional service bodies to negotiate mutual recognition for “qualifications, licencing and registration.”

This, according to a Prime Minister and Cabinet assessment is good, as there are now “a limited number” of mutual recognition agreements. PMC points to law, engineering, accounting and architecture as fields where Australian “professional services stakeholders” would welcome mutual recognition of qualifications.

But professional bodies notably pharmacists, nurses and midwives, will want to maintain “existing processes … to assess the competencies of individuals trained overseas.”

CMM suspects doctors’ lobbies will likely also have views on this.

Professional associations could certainly be difficult, if the way some deal with accrediting university courses in Australia is an indication.

As a report to the feds by consultants PhillipsKPA put it, “there is a perception in some professions that accreditation is about controlling numbers who enter the profession rather than societal or economic need.”

And some use accrediting power to do it.

“the aggregate effect of coping with idiosyncratic and excessive or unreasonable demands for information and compliance from some accrediting agencies is significant, expensive and problematic,” (CMM November 8 2017).

If any industry bodies are inclined to argue about recognition, the professional services working group will need to get cracking, the trade agreement requires recognition within 12 months of it starting, on December 29 last.

Still, there are already signs, albeit small Australia is onto recognition of India’s professional services, DFAT advises there is new market access “for culturally significant occupations, – 1800 qualified traditional chefs and yoga instructors.”