How long have you been on the APA’s Grants Review Committee (GRC)? 

I joined in January 2023 as the inaugural Early Career Researcher Fellow and have continued to be involved with the committee since then. 

How long have you been on the Grants Review Committee (GRC)? 

As physiotherapists, we are trained to assess, diagnose, manage and refer people to other disciplines to ensure patients receive the best possible care.

Current work through the Physiotherapy Board of Australia and the broader scope of practice reform agenda reflects growing recognition that physiotherapists can safely and effectively work to an expanded scope.

In many parts of Australia, particularly rural and remote communities, physiotherapists are already functioning as primary contact practitioners.

Modern awards provide for additional pay in certain circumstances to compensate employees for working outside the standard spread of hours, during unsocial hours or on special days.

The following are four common situations (not exhaustive) where higher pay rates may apply. 

Volunteering has always been at the heart of our profession. 

Whether it’s supporting a community event, contributing to a sporting team or stepping into leadership within the APA, it reflects our shared commitment to strengthening the community. 

On the surface, volunteering is a gift of time and energy. 

Yet any physiotherapist who has volunteered knows the deeper truth: the personal return is often far greater than the effort given. 

Volunteering provides a profound sense of purpose and connection. 

In 2009, physiotherapy researcher Professor Paul Hodges published an editorial in the Journal of Physiotherapy, ‘Growth of physiotherapy research funding in Australia’, looking at funding from 2000 to 2008 (Hodges 2009). 

Ruth Elinor Grant
5 April 1940 – 25 July 2025

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my time as president is that advocacy is never achieved alone. 

Every meeting in Canberra, every policy submission occurs because we build alliances—with politicians, with community groups, with researchers, with consumers and, most importantly, with each other as physiotherapists. 

This year the APA has been challenged with significant threats to practice viability.