Advocacy

‘Allied health’ covers a diverse group of professions working across a range of different sectors and settings. In sectors such as health, mental health, disability and aged care, allied health plays a crucial role and has significant potential to improve the quality and outcomes of care.

However, the allied health sector often receives only a small proportion of government funding and lags well behind other professional groups, such as medical and nursing, in terms of representation and policy development.
AHPA engages in a range of advocacy activities to raise the profile of the allied health sector and improve consumer access to allied health services. AHPA’s advocacy work is informed largely by our members and our working groups.

AHPA advocacy activities include:

  • direct advocacy through meetings with government representatives and agencies
  • representing allied health on government advisory groups
  • collaborating with industry groups and other stakeholders in key policy areas
  • making submissions to government and other consultations
  • publishing statements on issues that concern the allied health sector
  • undertaking projects that address key allied health issues
  • using social media to highlight achievements, opportunities, resources and issues relating to allied health.

To find out more about AHPA’s work, we encourage you to read about our submissions and statements, our projects, our committees and working groups and our external affiliations.