Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest health challenges, with over 440,000 Australians living with its impacts today. In 2023 alone, nearly 46,000 Australians experienced a stroke—that’s one every 11 minutes. With stroke rates rising among younger Australians, the need for awareness and strong support systems has never been greater.

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) acknowledges the critical work of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and welcomes the 122 recommendations outlined in the final report, which are essential to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of Australia's veterans.

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is thrilled to announce substantial updates to the WorkCover Queensland (WCQ) Allied Health Services Table of Costs for the 2024-2025 financial year, including a notable 4.1% Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase and the introduction of a new tier for physiotherapy services that are provided by specialist physiotherapists as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists.

April 2024

A Drysdale survivor of stroke who made it his mission to walk again in time to farewell his mother has been recognised for his courage.

During this difficult time, John turned his grief into motivation and set himself a goal to walk out of rehabilitation to attend his mother's funeral. To the surprise of doctors and physiotherapists, John achieved this after just only three weeks of rehabilitation.

The prolonged effects of sustained concussions are only just beginning to be realised, with former AFL players speaking out on their symptoms and the long-term effects of repeated trauma to the head. Concussion currently accounts for 1 in 8 of the injuries sustained in community Australian rules football¹. It’s the most common injury requiring hospitalisation² from the sport in Australia.

Sixty years ago, in the midst of the Vietnam War, a determined teenager named Amat Binnoore answered the call to serve his country.

Now in his late 70s, Amat is a decorated veteran and a former Branch President of Outer Eastern Melbourne Vietnam Veterans Inc. Photos he took during his tour in Vietnam are included in the Australian War Memorial’s collection. 

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) supports calls by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) for all levels of Government to develop a national plan addressing the growing and increasingly critical backlog of elective surgeries.

The AMA and RACS highlighted new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data, showing Australians are now waiting even longer for essential surgery.

A new virtual reality treatment program has shown patients that there are new ways to think about and treat their pain.

The newly invented treatment was developed by Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) Pain Physiotherapist and Menzies Health Institute Queensland researcher Dr Daniel Harvie, who has focused on changing the brain’s perception of the body.

Inconsistent lockdown restrictions on essential health services applied by the Western Australian (WA) Government shows an urgent need for a national approach to ensure all Australians have access to vital health services during the ongoing pandemic.

Following their previous lockdown, the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) wrote to the WA Government alerting them to the impact on patients’ health care during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The APA called on the WA Government to allow face to face physiotherapy care for patients with critical need.