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.

Dr Caitlin Farmer MACP is an advanced practice physiotherapist at Royal Melbourne Hospital who has worked in various roles in emergency departments (EDs) since 2008.

She has a keen interest in helping people experiencing vestibular conditions, particularly in acute settings.

From the moment he set foot in the entrance of Mount Isa Hospital in north-west Queensland, Stuart McCaskill had a feeling
of familiarity. 

Around the time that a pioneering program to filter public patients through a conservative management program for knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Canberra was finding its feet, a research project at the University of Canberra (UC) was also getting underway.