Here at the APA, it has been a busy and purposeful start to the year. 

Much of our collective energy has gone into preparing the APA 2026–27 federal pre-Budget submission, shaped by months of consultation, evidence review and conversations with members. 

Thanks to APA Strategy and Policy Specialist Bronwyn Darmanin for her leadership on the submission. 

At its heart are four clear and connected asks designed to strengthen access to physiotherapy, support a sustainable workforce and ensure that our profession can meet the needs of the communities we serve now and in the future. 

Physiotherapists work in every corner of Australia, across First Nations health, community care, private practice, hospitals, disability, aged care and sport. 

A budget response that works for physiotherapy must recognise that diversity and avoid onesize- fits-all solutions. 

The needs of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, a rural sports physiotherapist and a metropolitan private practice are different but they are united by the same goal: delivering high quality, timely care that keeps people active, well and participating in their communities. 

This perspective is particularly important when we consider Closing the Gap. 

It was brought into sharp focus for me in November last year at the Indigenous Allied Health Australia national conference, which highlighted the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the importance of interdisciplinary action across the allied health sector. 

Sustained, holistic and strengths-based approaches to health and wellbeing are essential if we are to achieve genuine health equity. 

It was especially inspiring to see Ngiyampaa woman Dr Brooke Conley recognised with the 2025 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Excellence in Research Award, acknowledging her leadership in advancing Indigenous wellbeing through high quality, culturally responsive physiotherapy research, education and clinical care. 

These experiences continue to remind me that representation matters, cultural safety matters and system settings can either open doors or reinforce barriers. 

Our advocacy priorities reflect this thinking. 

A central pillar of the Budget submission is expanding access to first contact physiotherapy. 

International and Australian evidence consistently shows that allowing people to see a physiotherapist first for musculoskeletal and movementrelated conditions improves outcomes, reduces pressure on GPs and emergency departments, and lowers overall system costs. 

But access must be equitable. 

First contact physiotherapy needs to work in community controlled health services, in regional and remote settings, and in models that support culturally responsive care. The same equity lens applies to women’s sport. 

Participation by women and girls is growing rapidly, yet injury prevention, access to specialist care and tailored rehabilitation have not kept pace. 

Physiotherapists play a central role in addressing this gap through prevention programs, early intervention and long-term athlete development. 

Ensuring that funding and policy settings recognise this role is not just about sport. 

It is about gender equity, lifelong physical activity and reducing the burden of preventable injury. 

Advocacy also means standing alongside our allied health colleagues. 

In February, the APA supported Allied Health Professions Australia at the Canberra launch of the petition to extend the Commonwealth Prac Payment to all allied health and medical students. 

This campaign recognises that financial pressure during training is a real and growing barrier. 

Supporting students is not separate from advocating for patient care; it is foundational to it. 

A profession under strain, with graduates burning out or leaving early due to financial stress, cannot deliver the care Australians need. 

Advocacy must therefore start early by reducing unnecessary pressure on students, ensuring that they are supported through to graduation and giving them the resources and confidence to build long, fulfilling careers in physiotherapy.

>> Rik Dawson APAM MACP
APA Titled Gerontological Physiotherapist
APA National President