Every three minutes, an older Australian is hospitalised because of a fall.ⁱ Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospital admissions and aged care admissions, costing the healthcare system more than $5 billion annually.ⁱⁱ 

As Australia’s population ages, the burden is only set to grow.  

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is calling on the next federal government to act on falls prevention— with evidence-based, cost-effective solutiosn that the Australian public overwhelming want.

New research commissioned for April Falls Prevention Month reveals:

• More than half of Australians aged 45 and over have experienced a fall themselves or know someone who has in the past year.
• Seven in ten have seen someone lose their independence because of a fall.  
• Nine in 10 support making physiotherapy-led falls prevention programs free for people over 65.ⁱⁱⁱ

‘Falls destroy lives, strip people of their independence, and strain our health system—and they are far from inevitable,’ said APA National President and leading gerontological physiotherapist Dr Rik Dawson MACP. 

‘We have the evidence and the public support. What’s missing is government action.’ 

Physiotherapy-led programs prevent falls—and save money 

The evidence is clear: 

• In residential aged care, physiotherapy-led programs reduce falls by 55 per cent.
• In the community, they reduce falls by 24 per cent.
• Investing in prevention could save the healthcare system almost half a billion dollars a year.^iv 

‘Falls cause more than just broken bones. They lead to isolation, fear, loss of dignity—and in some cases, death. We know what works. We just need the government to fund it,’ Dr Dawson said.  

The APA’s election call: fund what works 

The APA is calling on the next federal government to fully fund:

• A nationally consistent, twice-weekly group falls prevention program, delivered by physiotherapists through Primary Health Networks.
• A scalable and evidence-based program for aged care, including for residents living with dementia and in rural or remote areas, with face-to-face and telehealth delivery. 

These reforms are outlined in the APA’s 2025 Federal Election Statement, Physiotherapy: Putting Patients at the Centre of Care, which presents evidence-based funding priorities across the healthcare system.

’These programs work—they can improve lives, ease system pressures and are a significant answer to a huge health cost burden.’

‘Falls prevention is everyone’s business.’

‘In an election year, with healthcare system pressures dominating the national conversation, committing to proven, cost-saving solutions to address an issue of this magnitude, affecting so many Australians, should be a no-brainer,’ Dr Dawson said. 

References

i Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Falls. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/falls 

ii Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA). 2025. 2025 Federal Election Statement: Putting Patients at the Centre of Care. Australian Physiotherapy Association. 

iii Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA). 2025. Falls Prevention Survey: Project Gravity. Australian Physiotherapy Association. 

iv Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA). 2025. 2025 Federal Election Statement Physiotherapy: Putting Patients at the Centre of Care. Australian Physiotherapy Association.