Health workforce policy in Queensland: mapping the state government landscape.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to systematically map the scope, focus, and distribution of Queensland's health workforce (HWF) policies and examine their alignment with strategic HWF objectives.

Methods: A descriptive policy review was conducted using documents sourced from the Queensland Health and Health Workforce Queensland websites between January and May 2025. Documents were coded by policy type (system-level, individual-level, employment), document type, strategic domain (supply, distribution, performance), health profession, policy author, and publication year.

Results: A total of 275 policy documents were identified. Among 11 major policy groupings, most policies related to 'general HWF' and 'medical doctors and specialists' with minimal policy attention to pharmacists, physician assistants, paramedics, and aged care workers. Employment-focused policies accounted for 52% of all documents, compared with 38% focused on individual career development and only 10% on system-level strategic objectives. Most documents addressed workforce performance (65%), with fewer addressing supply (39%) or distribution (11%). Employment policy documents were largely authored by human resources and industrial relations bodies, reflecting the prominence of these actors in the HWF policy landscape.

Conclusions: Despite a high volume of HWF policy in Queensland, the policy architecture is fragmented. Profession-specific siloes, a strong emphasis on employment and industrial policy, and uneven focus across supply, distribution and performance domains suggest coordination and alignment challenges when it comes to addressing broader workforce goals. Further work is needed to understand whether and how these patterns may constrain the development of integrated, equitable workforce strategies capable of addressing persistent system-wide planning issues such as skills mix, retention and rural maldistribution.