The quiet work of advocacy

When people think about the work of a professional association, they often picture the visible moments: media releases, major announcements, the pictures with Ministers, parliamentary inquiries, or policy wins. These moments matter, but they represent only a small fraction of the work that actually takes place.

Much of the work of advocacy happens quietly, often behind the scenes.

At AAPi, there are many areas of long-standing reform that take years to shift. Some issues move slowly through complex systems of government, regulation, and funding. Ending the two-tier Medicare rebate system is a good example. It is an issue psychologists have been grappling with for decades. Progress rarely happens overnight, and meaningful change often requires sustained effort over many years.

In the meantime, the day-to-day work continues.

It is the late nights and early mornings spent reviewing consultation papers. It is the countless submissions drafted and redrafted. It is the emails, meetings, follow-up calls, and ongoing conversations with policymakers, regulators, and sector partners. Often it is the careful debate over just a handful of words in a draft policy or guideline, because those words can determine whether psychologists are included, whether services remain accessible to clients, and whether future opportunities for our profession are protected.

Many of the most important pieces of work will never be publicly visible.

Sometimes, the most significant outcomes are the crises that never occur because wording was changed in a confidential draft. Or because someone noticed a small clause that could have excluded psychologists from a program. Or because relationships built over years allow us to pick up the phone, ask questions, and influence a decision before it becomes final.

These are the moments that rarely appear in newsletters or headlines.

But they are the quiet work that protects the profession and the people psychologists serve.

For me, this is where the true strength of a community like AAPi lies. Advocacy is rarely the work of a single activity or a single submission. It isn’t flashy; it isn't on the front page of a newspaper; it is daily perseverance. It is the collective effort of a profession standing together, sharing information, building relationships, and steadily pushing for better systems.

Your membership makes this work possible.

So, while not all of the work can be seen or shared, it is happening. Every day, often quietly, and always with the goal of strengthening psychology and improving access to care for the people who need it most.

Thank you for being part of AAPi and for supporting this work.

Youth detention centres risk teaching young people to be prisoners

AAPi member in Hobart, Sam van der Wijngaart, spoke with the Hobart Mercury in response to uncertainty around the closure of the Ashley Youth Detention Centre. Sam said a lack of staffing and ongoing upheaval in youth detention settings was creating the wrong environment for youth. 

“If we get it right for these youth, we cut down the youth justice to youth detention to prison pipeline,” she said. “If we get it wrong, we are having a youth prison and we’re teaching our youth to be prisoners." She also emphasised that those in detention are still children, and that the aim should be to recognise the setting as one focused on care and support, rather than punishment.

The psychology behind panic buying

AAPi President Sahra O'Doherty spoke with ABC Radio Melbourne about the psychology behind panic buying, explaining that fears about supply shortages can quickly become self-fulfilling. When people worry essential goods may run out, they often respond by stockpiling, which can create the very shortages they fear. Recent global conflict has also triggered memories of the scarcity experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when staples disappeared from supermarket shelves during lockdowns. Even when there is a rational understanding that supplies are sufficient, the emotional memory of past shortages can drive people to buy more than they need. She noted that uncertainty can also prompt people to think more broadly about future lifestyle changes, as Australians who are accustomed to a stable and comfortable standard of living begin considering how global instability might affect everyday decisions and long-term planning.

National Guidance for Best Practice in Inclusive Education for Autistic Students

AAPi welcomed the draft National Guidance and its strong emphasis on neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed approaches and collaboration with allied health professionals. In our submission, AAPi highlighted the essential role psychologists play in supporting Autistic students through assessment, early identification, mental health support, and collaboration with schools and families.

AAPi also recommended that the Guidance explicitly recognise psychologists as key members of the multidisciplinary team and include minimum evidence-based staffing ratios to ensure Autistic students can access timely and appropriate support.

QLD - NIISQ Draft Provider Guideline

AAPi provided feedback on the Draft National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland (NIISQ) Provider Guideline. Overall, AAPi welcomed the guideline and its recognition that all registered psychologists are eligible to provide treatment under NIISQ, without restrictive tiered eligibility.

AAPi recommended clarifying language around subcontracting arrangements, noting that many allied health practices operate using contractor models and that appropriately qualified clinicians should not be excluded. AAPi also encouraged NIISQ to consider profession-specific recommended fee schedules from peak bodies, such as AAPi, when assessing the reasonableness of provider fees.

The Australian Senate has launched a new inquiry into Medicare access and funding in rural, regional and remote Australia, with submissions open until 27 March 2026.

The inquiry will examine the impact of Medicare settings on access to care, the sustainability of health services in regional communities, and whether the current system adequately supports multidisciplinary primary care.

For psychologists, this inquiry presents an important opportunity to highlight the critical role psychology plays, particularly in rural and regional communities where workforce shortages and service gaps remain significant.

This inquiry provides an opportunity to highlight key issues AAPi has been advocating on, including:

• The inequity of the two-tier Medicare rebate system, where psychologists receive different rebates based on endorsement rather than the service provided.
• Inadequate Medicare rebates for psychological services, contributing to rising out-of-pocket costs and making bulk-billing increasingly unsustainable.
• Workforce shortages in rural and regional communities, where psychologists are essential to meeting growing mental health needs.
• Administrative burden and red tape, including issues arising from recent Better Access changes and referral requirements.

AAPi has consistently highlighted the need for greater investment and support in the current and future rural and regional psychology workforce.

Members may wish to raise issues such as:

• Extending Workforce Incentive Program style incentives to psychologists working in rural and regional areas.
• Investing in supervision and training pathways for early-career psychologists in rural and regional communities.
• Expanding student placement and supervision supports to help build a sustainable psychology workforce outside metropolitan areas.
• Improving funding structures to enable psychologists to establish and maintain viable practices in underserved regions.
• Challenges delivering psychology services in rural, regional or outer metropolitan communities.
• The impact of Medicare rebate levels on client access to care.
• How the two-tier rebate system affects workforce distribution and equity.
• Barriers created by recent Medicare rule changes.
• The need for targeted workforce incentives and supervision support.

Even a short submission describing your experience in practice can help inform the committee’s understanding of how current Medicare settings affect psychologists and the communities they serve.

How to make a submission

• Submissions are open until 27 March 2026.
• Details on how to make a submission are available here.

Your voice is critical in helping policymakers understand the real-world impact of Medicare policy on psychology services and client access to care.

Financial barriers should not prevent psychology students from completing their degrees. Psychology and allied health students are essential to Australia’s health system, yet many must complete extensive unpaid clinical placements that can lead to significant financial hardship, often referred to as placement poverty. This petition led by Allied Health Professions Australia, supported by Australian Association of Psychologists Inc and other peak bodies alongside independent MPs Helen Haines and David Pocock, now has almost 23,000 signatures.

Please help end placement poverty by adding your name and supporting calls for the Australian Government to expand the Commonwealth Prac Payment to include all allied health students.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released new resources to support health professionals working within the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners initiative.

The resources include a factsheet which provides a practical overview for GPs, prescribed medical practitioners and allied health professionals, outlining eligibility requirements, how Mental Health Treatment Plans work, and referral pathways, as well as an example Better Access patient / practitioner journey - from an initial GP assessment through to allied health treatment. 

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has recently released resources outlining the new framework for planning changes to the NDIS. These documents may be helpful to share with participants and clients as they navigate the planning process.

Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) are running a free webinar on Monday 30 March from 5-6pm which will explain how allied health professionals can obtain and use a Healthcare Provider Identifier – Individual (HPI-I) to securely connect to national digital health systems such as My Health Record, secure messaging and Provider Connect Australia. Presented with representatives from Services Australia, AHPA and Ahpra, the session will outline what HPI identifiers are, why they matter, and how allied health professionals and organisations can obtain and use them correctly.

Register for the webinar here. 

Updated guidance for providers assessing DVA-funded healthcare eligibility

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has updated guidance for health providers on assessing eligibility for DVA-funded healthcare. Under revised Notes for General Practitioners and Allied Health Providers, clinicians are now expected to confirm whether treatment is clinically necessary for a DVA White Card holder’s accepted condition without routinely contacting DVA. Providers can verify eligibility through a patient’s digital White Card via MyService or the myGov wallet, or through written confirmation from DVA, and should only contact the department if eligibility remains unclear. The update aims to streamline processes and is supported by new quick guides, case examples and online resources for providers treating veterans and their families.

NDIS therapy pilot to inform future pricing reforms

The Australian Government has launched a $20 million pilot to better understand the cost of delivering high-quality therapy supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The 12-month Quality Supports Program Therapy Pilot will see 27 registered providers share data on service delivery, workforce skills and participant outcomes to help inform future pricing arrangements. Therapy supports account for around 10 per cent of NDIS spending, with about 465,000 participants accessing services such as occupational therapy, speech therapy and physiotherapy. The initiative, announced by Jenny McAllister, aims to ensure value for money for participants while maintaining the sustainability of disability service providers, and will run alongside existing pilots focused on supported independent living and support coordination.