Q: The Council has a strong reputation for innovation. As the CEO, why do you believe innovation is important for the Council’s work?
A: At the heart of everything we do is our commitment to ensuring every new physiotherapist joining the Australian physiotherapy workforce is safe, competent, and ready to practice.
Innovation has been a critical enabler for the Council to deliver on this purpose – from investing in research and development which has led us to deliver new international assessment models, such as APEP, through to refreshing our university education Accreditation Standards.
We take a broad view of innovation at the Council and seek to embrace it in a variety of ways. Sometimes it could be a major multi-year transformation project, or other times it’s a mindset where we question ourselves and seek to improve our services and processes. Innovation is not just something we talk about, it’s a core part of our culture. I encourage all my staff to adopt an innovative mindset, celebrating when we see examples of our team members bringing that mindset to our work as an accreditation and assessment authority.
Q: How has innovation transformed the Council’s assessment pathways, particularly for international physiotherapists?
A: A proud example of how innovation has delivered value to our international physiotherapy candidates was the launch of the Australian Physiotherapy Entry Pathway (APEP) in October 2025. This assessment model, developed through extensive research and consultation, enables internationally trained physiotherapists to complete up to 80% of their assessments remotely. By reducing barriers to entry, APEP not only addresses Australia’s workforce needs but also demonstrates how innovation and leveraging technology can modernise the path to practice.
Previously the Council developed expediated assessment pathways such as Express FLYR Pathway and FLYR Pathway. These streamlined pathways, for countries similar to Australia in physiotherapy education, practice scope, professional regulation, and health system practices, recognised ways we could reduce barriers to enter the Australian healthcare workforce, and provide fit for purpose assessment models.
Our various assessment pathways recognises that one size does not fit everyone, so we have sought to develop and transform our international assessment pathways which are good for our candidates, and ultimately good for the healthcare of Australian patients who need to receive high quality, effective and safe physiotherapy services.
Q: What role has innovation played in the Council’s support of international physiotherapists joining the Australian workforce?
A: The Council has dedicated a lot of focus and resources to providing excellent support to international physiotherapists progressing through our pathways.
We have developed extensive resources created by experienced and trusted Australian physiotherapists and educators, including the Clinical Reasoning course. Additionally, all international physiotherapists undertaking our assessments have free access to learning courses for ongoing professional development – all of which are exclusively available through the Candidate Portal.
Our staff team provide personalised advice and excellent customer support to our candidates, recognising the experience of migration can often be a complex and multifaceted life changing experience. Innovation has been integrated into our processes and systems to implement new technologies and efficiencies in serving our candidates.
We are strongly committed to supporting our candidates for success, both in their Council assessments and ultimately as an Australian physiotherapist. And we will continue to seek better ways and processes to deliver that support.
Q: In terms of accrediting university physiotherapy programs, what does innovation have to do with your work?
A: We know that the world is changing at an amazingly rapid pace, and our healthcare systems and workforce also need to be responsive to that context.
When we think about the future physiotherapy workforce, the Council’s role in accreditation can be leveraged to work with university partners who are educating the next generation of physiotherapists.
The Council needs to ensure that our Accreditation Standards reflect the expectations of policy and government stakeholders, the predicted healthcare needs of our communities and provide universities with direction on what kind of physiotherapy graduates they need to prepare for the workforce.
In late 2025, we released our refreshed Physiotherapy Accreditation Standards, the result of a comprehensive review, benchmarking them against international best practice and incorporating feedback from a wide range of stakeholders. We confidently believe that these Accreditation Standards address the realities of today’s clinical practice needs, including digital health, interprofessional care, and cultural responsiveness, and provide a flexible framework for universities into the future.
Closing comments:
Anton: It’s an exciting time to work in healthcare regulation, as I see ongoing change, challenges and opportunities for the Council to positively contribute to. I’m incredibly grateful and proud of our work with stakeholders and key partners, and am convinced that innovation will continue to be an important enabler of our work to enable the future physiotherapy workforce.