In these first few months of 2025, amid the federal election, the conversation around genuine primary healthcare reform in Australia has gained critical momentum. 

One of the most significant and necessary shifts that the APA continues to advocate for is the broad implementation of multidisciplinary teams in primary care. 

Multidisciplinary care is an essential element of reform that has the potential to redefine how Australians access and experience healthcare. 

This shift requires a deliberate and strategic approach to ensure meaningful policy change and guarantee the integration of multidisciplinary teams in a way that maximises both patient outcomes and system efficiency. 

Ensuring greater access to health services is a cornerstone of reform—multidisciplinary teams are a key enabler of this change. 

We have seen promising pilot programs and localised efforts to improve collaboration between GPs, physiotherapists, nurses and other allied health professionals. 

However, systemic barriers remain as the current primary care model is still centred on GPs. 

This model frequently forces patients to navigate complex referral pathways before they can access the right health professional for their needs. 

Compared with their international counterparts, Australia’s GPs have far less support from a broader care team, forcing them to deliver more care within 15-minute appointments. 

Policy changes are hindered by fee-for-service funding, which promotes churn and obstructs team care—an outdated model most other prosperous countries have moved away from. 

To address this, we must push for genuine primary care pathway reform. 

Direct access to allied health professionals—such as physiotherapists for musculoskeletal conditions or dietitians for diabetes management—will not only improve patient outcomes but also reduce unnecessary GP visits. 

Making multidisciplinary care reform a reality 

The 2024 Scope of Practice Review Final Report outlined the structural reform needed to strengthen care and engage in collaborative practice, making multidisciplinary care a reality. 

We must continue to advocate for these changes, which present major opportunities to incorporate access improvements into policy, creating a more effective healthcare system for all Australians. 

Multidisciplinary teams can only be effective when each member is allowed to work to the full scope of their practice. 

Historically, the rigid structure of healthcare roles has limited collaboration and delayed treatment. 

Reform must prioritise scope-of-practice expansion to reflect the skills and training of allied health professionals. 

Valuing the scope of practice physiotherapists are trained in (assessment, diagnosis and treatment) is a core focus. 

Enabling physiotherapists to refer to orthopaedic surgeons, request imaging, prescribe medications in specific scenarios or manage chronic pain without requiring a GP referral will significantly alleviate pressure on primary care and streamline patient pathways. 

These changes in primary care settings would not replace any role or profession, instead they would minimise inefficiencies and improve patient outcomes, benefiting the whole system. 

A cost analysis undertaken by the Nous Group estimated that implementing direct referrals by physiotherapists could save the healthcare system an estimated $162 million annually. 

These savings stem from avoiding unnecessary GP consultations and reducing patient out-of-pocket expenses. 

Persistent national challenges 

State and territory governments have long led the way in primary care innovation, especially in finding solutions at the acute care interface. 

Advanced practice physiotherapists in emergency departments and primary care consistently demonstrate faster patient turnaround and better resource allocation. 

The next step? Creating nationally consistent policies supporting multidisciplinary team collaboration to benefit patients—no matter where they live. 

However, achieving funding remains a critical bottleneck. 

Current Medicare structures do not adequately support multidisciplinary care in primary care settings, leading to fragmented services and financial barriers for patients. 

Australia’s ‘fee-for-service’ funding model and workforce regulations are a profound barrier to team-based primary care. 

Rethinking funding mechanisms is required to enable integrated multidisciplinary team care, as the current fractured system is not geared towards this approach. 

Ultimately, patients should not be financially penalised for seeking care from the most appropriate clinician. 

Getting the most out of multidisciplinary teams in primary care settings requires new ways of working—simply slotting a new workforce into a general practice won’t work. 

Instead, reforms must focus on restructuring workflows, integrating collaboration into daily practice and supporting shared decision-making across professions. 

A strong workforce is key. Workforce planning should address shortages, improve incentives for collaboration and ensure that professionals can work to their full scope. 

Reform essentials 

True reform relies on several policy essentials: 

• integrating multidisciplinary team models in education— preparing future health professionals for collaborative care
• incentivising rural practice—ensuring equitable access to multidisciplinary teams across Australia
• extending MyMedicare—including physiotherapists and activating My Health Record for seamless allied health access
• building collaborative capacity—supporting primary health networks (PHNs) with capacity-building and implementation programs. 

Without these crucial changes to policy, the potential of multidisciplinary teams will remain unrealised. 

The critical role of PHNs 

True reform hinges on redesigning the system around the patient, so they can access the right care, at the right time, by the right practitioner. 

The APA shares a reform vision that promises faster treatment, lower costs and integrated care across settings, with all primary healthcare practitioners— including physiotherapists—working to full scope, thereby improving efficiency and patient outcomes. 

PHNs play a key role in assessing community healthcare needs and commissioning. 

They are vital in supporting government reform, including in preventative care and early detection across key disease areas. 

The missing piece lies in a consistent national effort to address chronic disease, particularly musculoskeletal and pain burdens. 

The role of PHNs in implementing evidence-based strategies is vital to improving patient experiences and outcomes, especially for those with chronic illness. 

Physiotherapy-led models integrated into multidisciplinary PHN collaborative care enhances patient outcomes and access. 

It is through these strategies of change and by developing new ways to deliver services and improve outcomes that physiotherapy can bring significant value and support system-wide change. 

At this critical point in the Australian electoral cycle, we encourage our members to engage with your local PHNs to build connections and drive change. 

By fostering these relationships, physiotherapists can shape integrated care models, ensuring better health outcomes for all Australians. 

Now is the time to connect with your state branches and take a leading role in this transformation.