Business View Oceania l January 2023

15 16 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1 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. Thus, we adopted the term physiotherapy, and our current title, in 1939. Since then we have championed the growth of our industry through education, advocacy, member support, CPD, and research and development. It is our belied that physio is an essential pillar of our health system and our AUSTRAL I AN PHYS IOTHERAPY ASSOC I AT ION (APA) vision that it is the patients’ foundation on which to approach the betterment of their health and wellbeing.” APA members are invited to expand their knowledge, networking with their peers, and develop science in their area of special interest through participation in the organisation’s 20 National Groups. The groups are: Acupuncture & Dry Needling, Advanced Practice (including Emergency Department), Animal, Aquatic, Business, Cancer, Palliative Care & Lymphoedema, Cardiorespiratory, Disability, Educators, Gerontology, Leadership & Management, Mental Health, Neurology, Musculoskeletal, Occupational Health, Orthopaedic, Paediatric, Pain, Sports & Exercise, and Women’s, Men’s & Pelvic Health. The National Groups program is a significant contributor to furthering the APA’s education mission, Mr. Willis says. “We have a few different education goals we are working towards. First, we want to educate the consumer, the patient, on what physiotherapy can offer and the massive scope of practice it holds. We also need to work with our funders to deepen their understanding of industry practices, issues, and updates as they arise. And finally, we provide continuing education and professional development opportunities for our members, which is where the National Groups come in, alongside our mentoring program and CPD (cpd4physios) resources. We look at the whole pathway, from students and graduates right through to specialisation into the College of Physiotherapy.” The APA fosters core values accountability, excellence, courage, respect, and collaboration. In keeping with their collaborative principles, the association works regularly with other industry bodies and key partners to further their mission agenda. Partners include the Allied Health Professionals Association (AHPA), Australian Medical Association (AMA), Royal Australian College of General Practitioner (RACGP), and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The APA is also a member of World Physiotherapy, an organisation that has served as the peak global body for physiotherapy associations since 1951. Mr. Willis comments on the importance of ongoing reform efforts for the physiotherapy sector, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID was obviously a huge challenge for us, but it has also presented an opportunity for reform in the health sector. We were really accentuated during lockdown as an essential service for patients of all kinds, and the barriers facing our physios and associated healthcare workers were made clearer to our government. Despite improvement, we are still seeing evidence that reform needs to be taken to the next level. In order to inspire, that we need to continue highlighting physiotherapy as an efficient, economical, and effective service for our patients and funders. We would like to break down those barriers to see physios represented as the foundational point of care for our patients, working alongside their general practitioners,