Australia faces loss of up to one-third of private midwives as insurance rules change

An exemption that let privately practising midwives attend homebirths without a Commonwealth-funded insurance product will cease at the end of the year, prompting the Australian College of Midwives to warn that up to a third of the roughly 500 private-practice midwives could quit. Only midwives who achieve "endorsement"—requiring additional study and 5,000 hours of clinical experience—will qualify for the Medical Insurance Group Australia policy.

In regional centres like Mackay, the shortage of a second insured midwife already makes homebirths difficult, and many practitioners would need several more years to meet endorsement criteria. Homebirth numbers have more than doubled since 2019, raising concerns that reduced midwife availability could push families toward unassisted deliveries, known as freebirths. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing argues the insurance safeguards are essential, while the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia reviews feedback on the endorsement process. Chief midwife Kelley Lennon has met with officials to seek a more accessible insurance solution.