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
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Alfred Hospital leading in pharmacy services for critically unwell patients
Cristina Roman, is the Lead Pharmacist at Alfred Emergency Trauma Centre. In her 12 years working in the Emergency Department, Cristina has established pharmacy services, and filled gaps in patient care with new models of care.
One of those models of care adopted by the US and other countries, is involving pharmacists for critically unwell patients that present to the emergency department.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Cristina Roman and Lisa Bremner, Advanced Training Resident Pharmacist at Alfred Hospital Emergency Trauma Centre.
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Digital tools help hospitals reduce missed appointments
Nicole Nixon, CEO of Five Faces, says the Brisbane-based digital experience and software platform company is helping hospitals make outpatient and perioperative patient journeys easier for both patients and clinicians.
In an interview with the Australian Health Journal filmed at Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) recent HIC26 conference in Sydney, Nixon explains how Five Faces’ digital front door platform supports patients from the moment an appointment is created, providing information about appointments, preparation, hospital facilities and wayfinding. Patients can also complete digital forms and receive timely notifications, reminders and resources designed to reduce missed or cancelled appointments.
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Handling modern day diets and misinformation as a HCP
Laureate Professor Clare Collins AO in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle, emphasises the need for accurate and reliable nutrition information to reach the public. Prof Collins believes that it is vital for clinicians to stay up-to-date with cutting-edge nutrition science and work with communication organisations to disseminate information to the general public. This is particularly important as social media is full of both reliable and unreliable information on dietary patterns, such as veganism.
