As the representative body for the physiotherapy profession, we at the APA are acutely aware that our decisions carry significant weight, not only for our members but for all Australian physiotherapists. 

It is for this reason that we don’t make decisions lightly or enact change on important issues that impact the profession without extensive consultation. 

Central to this process is hearing directly from our members to ensure that their perspectives are meaningfully reflected in the positions we adopt. 

This process becomes a more nuanced undertaking, however, when members find themselves divided on a particular issue. 

We recently encountered such an issue when putting together our submission for the Fair Work Commission’s reevaluation of the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 as part of its gender-based undervaluation review. Upon surveying our members, we found that their responses spanned a wide spectrum of views, with a number of distinct schools of thought emerging. 

To consolidate our thinking, we turned to our National Advisory Council (NAC) for guidance. 

NAC is comprised of members who serve as presidents of branches or chairs of national groups, alongside representatives of the student group, the rural and remote membership base, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Committee and the Australian College of Physiotherapists. 

These individuals are well placed to speak with confidence and balance on the issues that matter most to those they represent – bringing both breadth of perspective and depth of experience to their roles. 

At the APA, NAC plays an indispensable role in keeping us attuned to the broader sentiments of the profession. 

When we need to gain insight into member sentiment on a given issue, it is central to informing and shaping the Board’s decision-making. Its collective insight allows us to understand how our decisions are likely to land across the full spectrum of the profession – from private practice owners to employees, public health workers, students and the academic community – as well as how our positions will be perceived among our peers. 

The ability to gather and synthesise member insight across all of these domains is essential to how we lead. 

At Board level, we carefully weigh input from NAC and our broader membership against the imperatives of our strategy, risk and advocacy plans. 

As many of our members will be aware, our strategic plan, Towards 2030, speaks directly to the APA’s commitment to forwardthinking leadership. 

Those in governance roles and our Executive Leadership Team understand that one of our most fundamental responsibilities is striking a balance between the profession’s short- and long-term interests, ensuring that the decisions made today do not come at the expense of the profession’s future. 

This has never felt more pressing. Recent cuts to the NDIS, stagnating Department of Veterans’ Affairs fees and challenges in rolling out the Support at Home program represent real and compounding pressures on the profession, showing us that we need to take a holistic view of leadership and make sure our advocacy efforts are focusing on the sustainability of these key services. 

It is the leaders and advisory bodies that surround us, NAC foremost among them, who help us to navigate and prioritise these competing considerations. 

Along with signals from government, emerging funding opportunities and the full breadth of member input we receive, these voices ensure that the decisions reached at the Board table are strategically sound and equitable for all those we represent. 

Visit our website to learn more about NAC and read our submission to the Fair Work Commission as part of the gender-based undervaluation review. 

Rob LoPresti 

APA Chief Executive Officer