Policy and Advocacy

VAHPA provides a range of member benefits for Victoria’s Allied Health Professionals. Benefits include workplace advice, collective bargaining, professional indemnity, advocacy, free legal advice, plus other benefits and discounts.

A vigorous advocate

VAHPA is a vigorous advocate on behalf of Health Professionals to governments on public health policy, using the expertise and knowledge of our members, while maintaining strict political independence.

We encourage all Health Professionals to be active in VAHPA so you can help us advance.

Some of the major professional issues that VAHPA is actively concerned about include:

Workforce changes

Ongoing changes to the healthcare workforce are putting the jobs of many Health Professionals at risk and are lowering healthcare standards through the use of less-qualified health workers.

Under the guise of ‘workforce planning’, governments and employers are seeking to save money by ‘squeezing’ our professions. Nurses are being encouraged to multi-skill so they can take over aspects of our jobs. At the same time there are Assistants pushing up from below.

In recent months VAHPA has supported many members who are facing the prospect of losing jobs or career opportunities through this process. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, podiatrists, anesthetic technologists, radiographers, community workers, and counsellors have all been affected.

VAHPA is the main organisation – often we are the only one – standing up for the jobs and careers of Heath Professionals and actively preventing our professional integrity and standards being undermined.

Professional registration

An onerous and complex proliferation of professional registration requirements has developed in healthcare, which causes members unnecessary anxiety and financial stress. For instance, radiographers must pay hundreds of dollars each year on time, sometimes to multiple bodies, to maintain professional registration.

We are working with Professional Associations to streamline professional registration requirements. We aim to ensure that professional registration fees are paid by the employer rather than the employee, and for this requirement to be included in Enterprise Agreements.

Professional development

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a requirement of registration for many Health Professionals. In an industry that is driven by evidence-based practice and continuing scientific, technological and medical advances, it is essential that members’ skills and knowledge remains up to date.

VAHPA aims to assist our members to extend their professional knowledge and help them meet CPD requirements. In April 2015 we launched an online CPD program. registration is free for VAHPA members and there are great discounts for on-line courses. For more information visit the CPD website here.

How to get involved

VAHPA consults with members through our newsletter, website, regular surveys and directly by email and post. We also meet regularly to discuss issues in workplaces and consult with delegates, workplace committees and sub-branches.

You can get more involved by becoming a VAHPA Delegate or by contacting your relevant Union Organiser or BCOM member. Call 1300 322 917 or email info@vahpa.asn.au for more information.