A new proposal for Australian nurses to take on some roles previously carried out by General Practitioners is a step in the right direction but is too cautious and timid.

That is according to Professor of Nursing at Central Queensland University, William Lauder, who has previously tipped that nurses will take on many of the functions of GPs in remote and rural Australia.

Government senators on a parliamentary committee have recommended that patients have Medicare-funded access to nurses at GP clinics for some routine health procedures such as pap smears, breast examinations, quit-smoking advice and dietary advice.

Professor Lauder said the proposal was welcome as it set the precedent that nurses could work independently and that nursing practice should be paid in a more direct way.

"This may have far reaching repercussions over the next 5-10 years," he said.

"The range of work that is suggested nurses might undertake has been standard practice for nurses in UK and USA for a long time. So this not a new initiative as far as nursing practice is concerned.

"Australia is trailing behind UK, USA and Canada in this respect. This can be explained by the dominance of the medical profession and the relative weakness of nursing in Australia, especially nurses working in senior management roles who have failed to push the case for nursing.

"While welcome and a step in the right direction, it is too cautious and timid a proposal. Nurses can do most if not all the work currently undertaken by GPs. We should be looking at the interchangability of roles.

"Nurses and GPs should receive similar training and in rural and deprived inner city areas nurses should be the front line worker and first point of contact with patients. This is the best solution to lack of GPs in these areas." ENDS For details contact Professor Lauder via w.lauder@cqu.edu.au or via 0422 732 064