Business View Oceania | April/May 2022

57 58 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 S ince their beginnings over 110 years ago, the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) has worked to represent the interests of physiotherapists, students, assistants, and patients as the industry’s sole voice and peak professional body. The APA’s 30,000 members enjoy benefits such as directory representation, research database access, regular industry updates and publications, professional development and networking opportunities, Member Benefits Australia and APA partner offers and discounts, a place in the BMS Risk Solutions insurance program, and buy (shop4physios), sell (classifieds4physios), and jobs discovery (jobs4physios) opportunities. The APA advocates on behalf of members and the wider physiotherapy community to local, state, and federal governments. Scott Willis offers his insight as the current President of the APA. “Originally, we were titled the Australasian Massage Association. We were very involved, along with our members at the time, in the physical rehabilitation of war veterans following World War I- that demonstration of our effectiveness and importance in the recovery of Australian soldiers really highlighted our value as a professional. The result was that our industry began to develop and flourish, becoming a more sophisticated, regulated sector that was instrumental in widespread uptake of active therapy. Then came the polio pandemic, which introduced the value of movement patterns and a more holistic approach to rehabilitation. AT A GLANCE AUSTRALIAN PHYSIOTHERAPISTS ASSOCIATION (APA) WHAT: Peak body representing the interests of Australian physiotherapists, their staff, and their patients WHERE: The APA is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia WEBSITE: https://australian.physio/ Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) Get the Most out of Life