Plastic waste is a global problem and emerging research shows adverse effects on marine life and human health from the ingestion and absorption of toxic microplastic waste products. 

As physiotherapists, we are well positioned to reduce plastic consumption in the clinic and to advise our patients to consider the effects of plastics/microplastics, helping to improve their health outcomes. 

While around 40 to 60 per cent of new physiotherapy graduates gain employment in private practice, only a small proportion of them receive private practice placements before they graduate.

One in three Australians aged 65 and above will fall this year. 

It’s a confronting statistic that underscores an urgency of action in falls prevention and management in older people, says Associate Professor Cathy Said. 

But I do know this: if we want the APA to lead healthcare reform that puts the patient journey at the centre and if we want to see physiotherapy properly funded to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, we must build advocacy alliances with urgency and intent.

For this federal election, the APA was more prepared than ever. 

When physiotherapist Piers Truter APAM had a chance encounter in 2020 with a mother waiting in the emergency department (ED) at Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital to get a cam boot for her son’s injured ankle, an idea began to form in his mind. 

‘There has to be a more efficient way to manage this sort of thing,’ he mused.

Within my first three months as president of the APA, I have already felt the effects of the APA’s ongoing advocacy efforts in my meetings with associates at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and government ministers from across the political spectrum. 

Influential stakeholders within the Australian healthcare system are recognising the growing body of evidence communicating the value of innovative physiotherapy in improving patient pathways. 

In Queensland, addressing the overwhelming demand for specialist musculoskeletal services in public healthcare settings has long been a challenge. 

This was especially true in orthopaedics, where significant wait times have historically affected patient access to care. 

Knowing the depth and breadth of your skills and capabilities as a physiotherapist is one thing. Convincing others can be
an entirely different matter. 

People living with dementia can benefit greatly from participating in physiotherapy but there are a number of barriers to their accessing care.