STUDENTS WELCOME EXPANSION OF THE COMMONWEALTH PRAC PAYMENT
Cost of living relief for students training in national skills shortage fields
With
Dr Rik Dawson,
APA Gerontological Physiotherapist &
National President,
Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) &
Postdoctoral Researcher
Institute for Musculoskeletal Health,
University of Sydney
Jianqi Li, new graduate physiotherapist
Early Career Representative, Australian Physiotherapy Association
Benjamin Tze Yong Ong, Final-year physiotherapy student,
University of Queensland & APA National Student Representative
Mia Avram
Fourth-year pharmacy student at Monash University &
National President,
National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA)
Divya Lal, Community Pharmacist &
NSW/ACT State Manager,
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)
SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney & Brisbane | August 2026
The Australian Government is expanding the Commonwealth Prac Payment to eligible students in 10 additional frontline allied health disciplines, providing financial support during mandatory university placements.
From 1 July 2027, eligible students studying audiology, pharmacy, radiography, clinical psychology, physiotherapy, rehabilitation therapies, occupational therapy, podiatry, speech pathology and paramedicine will be able to access the payment.
The expansion builds on the payment currently available to eligible teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students, and is expected to support around 95,000 students each year, including an additional 21,000 higher education students in frontline allied health courses.
The Government says the initiative will help address workforce shortages by supporting students to complete their studies and enter frontline health professions, particularly in areas such as primary care, hospitals, aged care, disability and regional communities.
Australian Health Journal spoke with representatives of two industry bodies who lobbied for the expansion, Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) & Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).
Source: Adapted from the “Expansion of the Commonwealth Prac Payment Factsheet”, July 2026, Department of Education, Australian Government
-
4 Years On
Launched 4 years ago, the Queensland Health’s Nurse Navigator program was created for patients with complex care needs. The Nurse Navigators are Advanced Practice Nurses and Midwives that help patients with care coordination and care planning.
A Nurse Navigator has the system knowledge and access, clinical skills and time to understand each person’s needs and to partner with them to develop a plan of care that addresses their health needs and respects and values their time and circumstances.
-
Nuclear medicine funding a win for men with prostate cancer
Australian men with higher risk prostate cancer now have access to a nuclear medicine scan to help detect and treat metastatic disease, after it was listed on the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) from 1st July 2022.
In 2021 over 18,000 Australian men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, resulting in over 3,000 lives being lost – and making prostate cancer Australia’s second most common cause of cancer death in men.
Australian Health Journal spoke with AANMS President Associate Professor Sze Ting Lee and Dr Geoff Schembri on the MBS listing and the efforts to get it listed.
-
Taiwanese health and research delegation visit Paratus clinical trial site in Canberra
In late August 2025, a Taiwanese delegation comprising government officials from the Taiwanese FDA, various governmental groups, and physicians and researchers from across Taiwan, visited Paratus Clinical’s trial site in Canberra. Their objective was to explore both the differences and similarities between the clinical research ecosystems of Taiwan and Australia.
