From the first full pay period commencing on or after 9 July 2019, all ordinary hours worked by a permanent employee on Saturday between 8.00 am and 4.30 pm are just paid with a 50 per cent loading (meaning double time is no longer required from the third hour afternoon).

As the head physiotherapist at Sydney’s busy Westmead Hospital, Maria Quinlivan, APAM, gets to enjoy what she calls ‘many great aspects of physiotherapy’. This includes introducing graduates to the public health sector through her hospital’s highly-sought-after graduate program, mentoring countless clinicians in pursuit of higher education, and ensuring patients experience the latest in clinical research and best of care from her team of about 70 physiotherapists.

Joel Dunstan was in a position many physiotherapists have been before. Physiotherapy faces a high attrition rate at five to 10 years of clinical practice—and Joel was almost included among those leaving the profession.

The Physiotherapy Board of Australia (the Board) is continuing its focus on engaging with registrants, creating an opportunity for physiotherapists to meet the Board and to understand more about how it works.

The Board’s third stakeholder engagement event was held in Canberra on 29 March 2019. All ACT physiotherapists, and those from neighbouring postcodes, were invited. Of the 33,000 registered physiotherapists in Australia, 663 have their principal place of practice in the ACT.

A significant change to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2010 is about to come into effect. Specifically, the span of hours will change from the first full pay period commencing on or after 9 July 2019.

An announcement regarding this change, as well as other minor changes to the award, was issued to members in January. So what is this significant change, and what does it mean for your practice?

Celebrating the achievements of women in business and taking the opportunity to improve home healthcare across Australia are two of the immediate impacts of winning the 2019 Telstra Business Women’s Awards Victorian small business category for Fiona White.

Fiona, APAM, the Director and Founder of home visit physiotherapy business Own Body, and was named the winner of the state award in mid-March and is now in contention for the national award, to be announced on Thursday, 16 May at a gala dinner in Sydney.

A recent case involving a fashion industry start-up being penalised around $330,000 for underpaying staff has brought the issue of unpaid work into the spotlight. This came only weeks after a prominent Australian company director was slammed for making comments about millennials ‘not wanting to work for free’. These situations, while very different, raise the question: is unpaid work permissible?

Buying into or expanding a physiotherapy practice can be overwhelming. Director of business advisory at William Buck, Belinda Hudson, gives APA members key considerations to think about before taking the leap.

1. Business plan, budgets and benchmarks

BMS Group, the official broker for the APA member insurance program, provides a breakdown of the policies you need as a business owner. So what types of insurance should you be looking at?

As a physiotherapist, insurance is crucial for you to stay registered with AHPRA, but things can get a bit complex, especially if you are a business owner.

Professional indemnity