In today’s Weekly Times, AAPi features prominently in a story about the shortage of psychologists in rural Australia.
In the article, Executive Director Tegan Carrison points out that in regional Victoria, the number of psychologists per head of population is half that of the metropolitan areas. The article covers the following key advocacy areas of AAPi:
- The low Medicare rebates are a barrier to client access to psychologists
- The Medicare rebate needs to be raised to $150 for the clients of all psychologists
- The need to continue the additional 10 Better Access sessions
- Disaster item numbers need to be extended and expanded to support client self-referral to psychologists when impacted by bushfires, floods, and other disasters
- The need to support and expand rural and remote workforce
- Programs for the provisional psychologists
AAPi will continue to advocate for these important issues for our members and their clients.