Help us change the APS board.
Vote in the election and sign a proxy NOW!
Only 7 days left to VOTE and send us a Proxy!
United Profession – Equality of Practitioner – Freedom of Treatment
SPILL
We urge all those who haven’t sent a proxy YET to use the paper form below! Do not use the online facility as there have been too many problems with it.
Step 1. Download a proxy form and appoint Jenny Corran, Donvale 3111 and Sophie Bibrowska, Elwood 3184
as your proxies – download form here
Step 2. Send completed proxy to Computershare Investor Services by:
- By email – votingservices@computershare.com.au
- By facsimile – 03 9473 2145
- By mail – Computershare Investor Services Pty Limited, GPO Box 2062, Melbourne VIC 3001
Step 3. Send a copy to RAPS at: apsreform@gmail.com
Proxy closes at 1.00pm (AEST) Thursday, 5 October 2017.
ELECTION
How to vote in the election and who to vote for? download here.
This is who we recommend you vote for. Vote 1 for each person and do include other candidates.
- PRESIDENT ELECT: Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
- DGPP: Joe Gagliano
- DPRET: Dr Kevin Quin
Voting closes at 10 am (AEST) on Friday 6 October 2017
RAPS Campaign
We would like to help you understand what the APS has been doing with your fees so that you can make informed decisions when the vote happens in October.
We’ve put together a short 26 minute video which explains the history of the Reform APS movement about the lack of advocacy for non-clinical psychologists in Australia and where we are at the moment. Please open the link to view on:
There is currently an election to decide who will represent you on the APS board.
Historically, APS members have not voted and we can’t unify the profession and create advocacy for all members without your vote.
We want you to vote for Dr Michael Carr-Gregg as President-Elect, Joseph Gagliano as General Director for DGPP and Dr Kevin Quin as General Director for DPRET.
As Kevin and Joseph’s efforts to get their video posted on the APS website were thwarted, please open this link so you can hear from them on a video we put together.
The profession faces the gravest crisis in its history, engineered by a prolonged andshort-sighted campaign to advance the interests of clinical psychologists over those of all their colleagues.
In the pursuit of financial and professional advantage, this campaign has resulted in the two-tier Medicare rebate system under the Better Access scheme.
This campaign is the root of the two-tier Medicare rebate system under the Better Access scheme, which grossly favours clinical psychologists, despite the conspicuous absence of any evidence to justify this inequity. The latest research and post hoc analyses show that there is no difference between the treatment outcomes of clinical and registered psychologists.
The continuing entrenchment of this completely unwarranted financial and professional advantage for a single minority faction has had a profoundly negative impact on the profession and on Australia’s mental health clients.
The collateral effects have been far-reaching. They include:
- A catastrophic realignment of academic courses which has produced a virtual monoculture of clinical graduates
- The admission of bureaucratic control over the professional sanctity of the consulting room which has favoured CBT over other evidence-based techniques.
- The abdication of APS influence in the mental health debate to psychiatrists and organisations including Beyond Blue and Headspace.
- The public denigration of highly skilled and experienced non-clinical psychologists as “the worst-educated in the Western World” by the current president of the society which represents them.
- Continuing promotion to legislators, bureaucrats and referring authorities of the false proposition that clinical psychologists are superior to all other psychologists and that they should command professional debate and receive higher rewards.
- Delivery of exclusive rights to preparing reports and assessments to clinical psychologists, ending decades of tradition and practice.
- Consistent intimidation of opponents of the clinical faction with threats of potentially career-threatening retaliation.
- Perpetuation of control by the clinical faction on the board
RAPS collected over 200 signatures for the spill to remove all directors from the APS board at the next general meeting. But since the EGM changes in June, we now suggest only removing the remaining clinicals in order to restore a more representative board. We feel it is a last chance for APS members to create a society that truly serves the interests of all psychologists.
If we do not act; if we fail to exercise our right to vote on the spill, there is a danger that the APS will continue to primarily represent the interests of clinical psychologists and those who support them to the detriment of non-clinical psychologists.
Together we represent 70% of the members. It’s time we all spoke up.
We consider that the current board is either unable or unwilling to address our concerns about the unfairness brought about by the two-tier system. This is not just about Medicare rebates. It is about standing up for the rights and responsibilities of psychologists to use their professional judgment, rather than having to conform to the limitations of focused psychological strategies. It is about protecting our clients from the medicalisation of the profession.
We ask that all endorsed psychologists – including clinical psychologists of principle, many of whom already support us – to stand together with the generalists to elect a new board. A truly representative board will be able to speak on behalf of the entire profession, rather than a single interest group.
It will find a fairer solution to the current two-tier system that recognises all members’ competencies, clinical experience and judgement. We are the majority of members!
A representative board will also advocate for all its members to be on a single tier system of Medicare rebates. We consider that the current APS board has failed to advocate appropriately for non-clinical psychologists. RAPS has real concerns that these members’ interests will not be looked after by the current board at the next Medicare review in November.
Freedom of Information documents on the APS submissions to the Department of Health and Ageing show that the APS only ever advocated for a single Medicare rebate exclusively for psychologists eligible for membership of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists.
It was the government, not our organisation, who insisted on a rebate for non-clinical psychologists. The APS leadership has had more than 10 years to restore fairness but little has been done. We have been waiting for changes for ten years. The time for waiting is over. It is up to members now to act.
Please support the resolutions at the next general meeting to remove the board so a new board can be voted in that supports all members’ interests! Please also visit the RAPS website and print out and sign a copy of our request to the board for a general meeting to be called so the vote is not delayed any longer!
We need all RAPS supporters to download this document NOW and collect signatures!Here is your chance to help fix the problem.
This is your chance to be heard – or accept that in future you may belong to the ACPS – the Australian Clinical Psychology Society – not the APS.
How can I help? Contact Us!
About Us
Reform APS (RAPS) is dedicated to achieving genuine unity for the Australian Psychological Society and to advance the practice of psychology and the treatment of mental health conditions in Australia. Our aim is to reach a point of equality between clinical and non-clinical psychologists in the Society.
Reform APS 