As the role of physiotherapists continues to evolve, new opportunities are emerging for the profession to work to its full scope of practice. 

One area where this is already occurring is prescribing – in specific settings and locations, advanced practice physiotherapists are currently authorised to prescribe certain medications. 

One of the most important roles I have as APA National President is being a storyteller. 

In September, Katherine Utry, our General Manager of Policy and Government Relations, and I spent three days in Canberra meeting with parliamentarians, advisers and senior government officials. 

Our discussions covered Medicare, primary care, women’s health, veterans’ care, the NDIS and aged care. We took evidence and policy proposals but we also took stories. 

Physiotherapy in Australia is growing rapidly, both in numbers and in the breadth of what our profession contributes to Australians’ health. 

As of March 2026, Australia has more than 50,000 registered physiotherapists, while the APA represents close to 37,000. 

We are approaching the size of the psychology profession and are on track to become Australia’s third-largest regulated health profession. 

To borrow a line from Uncle Ben in Spider-Man, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has come to dominate the tech sphere over the past five years and its influence has spread into other fields, including healthcare.

Its growing presence has prompted the APA to release a position statement on the use of AI in physiotherapy.

While other bodies such as Ahpra have already released statements about AI, we felt it was important to provide guidance specific to physiotherapy.

The APA has recently released its 2025 Workforce Census, the second iteration of the initiative developed to monitor workforce trends of the physiotherapy profession. 

Every year on 8 September, World Physiotherapy Day celebrates the contribution physiotherapists make to improving health and wellbeing around the globe.

It is an opportunity to recognise the expertise, compassion and leadership of our profession while reflecting on how physiotherapy continues to evolve to meet today’s greatest health challenges.

This year is particularly significant. Following consultation with member organisations, World Physiotherapy has launched a four-year focus on non-communicable diseases, the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.

Thriving Kids is designed for children aged zero to eight with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs. 

In May, I had the privilege of representing Australia as part of the World Physiotherapy delegation at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. 

World Physiotherapy played an active role throughout the Assembly, ensuring that rehabilitation and the physiotherapy profession were represented in discussions on health system reform, workforce development and healthy aging. 

While much attention focused on pandemic preparedness, the economics of healthcare and expanding access to emergency care, rehabilitation emerged as a major priority. 

The 2026–27 federal Budget presented an opportunity to strengthen primary care, reduce hospital demand and deliver clear economic and social value – priorities that sit at the heart of the APA’s ongoing advocacy work.

For many Australians, accessing a publicly funded physiotherapist requires waiting until they enter hospital.

The APA has long argued that this system disadvantages not only patients, but also the economy.