The APS was led by CEO Frances Mirabelli during this Annual Report period (1 June 2019 – 31 May 2020). The APS thanks Ms Mirabelli for her leadership during 2018-2020 and for her contribution to the organisation. During this time, Ms Mirabelli oversaw an increase in APS membership to a milestone of 25,000 members. The previous major milestone of 20,000 members was achieved in 2011. This growth in numbers is a reflection of the value that APS psychologists place in the support provided by their member organisation.
In 2019 at the International Summit on Psychology and Global Health the APS signed the international pledge to combat climate change, along with more than 40 other organisations, and shared with our international colleagues the outputs and findings from Psychology Week – which explored the topic of youth and social justice issues, with a particular focus on the climate crisis.
APS support for members took on a renewed focus in January 2020. The National Office returned from the annual end of year break in the midst of Australia’s most devastating and costly bushfire season in modern history. The Bushfire Recovery Access Initiative was introduced by the Federal Government, allowing 10 rebatable services to be delivered by psychologists in 2020 and 2021. Following additional requests for targeted government funding, the APS also secured a contract with the Federal Government to fund the training of psychologists in disaster support, to ensure a supply of psychologists following natural disasters through the APS Disaster Response Network (DRN). Hundreds of members have since registered for the free training, with over a hundred members joining the DRN. The policy team led by Ms Gay Santiago and Ms Mirabelli should be commended for securing government support during this disaster.
The impacts of COVID-19 shortly followed the end of the bushfire season, and again, the APS needed to act swiftly to keep members updated and informed on what this meant for their practice, research and teaching. All staff commenced working from home in March 2020 and the APS has remained fully operational during this time.
With weekly announcements coming out of Government affecting every part of public life, the APS increased communication with members. The professional development and membership teams working with colleges and member groups to develop a large suite of COVID-19 resources for psychologists – in particular around the transition to telehealth – and for the public. The shift from face-to-face member events and CPD to online delivery also formed a major part the APS’s adaption to ‘the new normal’. The conferences and events team actively repositioned APS events, and considerable planning was undertaken to transform the annual conference PSY2020 to a virtual conference – which will take place in October 2020. The former CEO had direct engagement with members through frequent webinars, including on the changes to practice due to COVID-19, and on the economic stimulus packages from government.
In March 2020, COVID-19 Medicare rebatable telehealth items were announced. In that same month, the APS secured an arrangement whereby the majority of health funds will provide coverage for teleconsultations provided by psychologists. In April 2020, the Federal Government confirmed that psychologists could charge a gap fee on these items. This advocacy work to push for an extension of COVID-19 telehealth items beyond September 2020 continued, as did the work to expand the number of Medicare rebatable sessions from 10 to at least 20 sessions.
In July 2020 Dr Zena Burgess FAPS FAICD joined the APS as transition CEO (appointed as ongoing CEO in August). Zena has worked with the Board on the development of the Strategic Plan 2021-2024 – the core purpose of which is to advance the discipline and profession of psychology, for the benefit of all Australians. Zena looks forward to working closely with the members to strengthen the profession and the APS.
The APS is grateful to the many thousands of members who have supported the organisation in 2020, particularly through lending their time and expertise to the many committees and working groups.
APS staff are to be commended for their professionalism and dedication to supporting members, through what has been an incredibly challenging and uncertain year. They bring both passion and positivity to their work whilst also achieving considerable outcomes for the APS. The effectiveness of this combination cannot be overstated.
The Board of Directors has provided valued stewardship of the Society, and the APS expresses its sincere acknowledgement and appreciation to Ros Knight for her presidency and representing the members and the organisation during such a turbulent period in Australia’s history.