The AHPA Insider
Monday, 31 March 2025

AHPA launches election advocacy campaign

This election, AHPA is calling for an integrated and interoperable primary care environment that optimises the role of allied health professionals to improve access and affordability to essential health services for all Australians.

AHPA’s key priorities for the 2025 Federal Election are:

1. Primary Care: Improving access to primary allied health service

2. Aged Care: Ensure older people get the allied health they need

3. Digital health: Facilitating interoperable sharing of allied health information

4. Rural and remote: Improving access to allied health services for people living in rural and remote Australia

5. Disability: Ensure people with disability get the allied health support they need

Tough budget for allied health

AHPA was disappointed that the second largest health workforce was once again ignored by the Albanese Government with no substantive measures announced in last week’s Budget.

The glaring omission of the allied health sector was particularly disappointing given this Government’s initially ambitious health reform agenda. The budget was a return to the old-school thinking of single-discipline models of care.

Last Thursday, AHPA hosted a member organisation Post-Budget Analysis and welcomed First Assistant Secretary Primary Care Division Mark Roddam, Assistant Secretary Digital Health Branch Simon Cleverley and Commonwealth Chief Allied Health Officer Anita Hobson-Powell.

The Department of Health and Aged Care was pleased to highlight the continued investment into digital allied health. The 2025–26 Budget includes $4.6 million to complete work with software vendors to develop connections to My Health Record and deliver education to uplift digital capabilities.

AHPA response to the Draft National Allied Health Workforce Strategy Survey

AHPA’s submission to the Draft National Allied Health Workforce Strategy Survey commends the Commonwealth Chief Allied Health Office on the development of Australia’s first ever allied health workforce strategy.

Our submission noted the need to:

1. Prioritise the national collection of workforce supply and demand data for all allied health professions

2. Focus more heavily on the workforce impacts of funding policy and income differences across government programs

3. Consider practical options to address clinical placement challenges for allied health students, drawing on approaches from other programs

4. Expand rural and remote workforce initiatives focused on place-based training

We look forward to working with all governments to implement the strategy and provide increased access to workforce supports for allied health professionals.

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