A practical plan for a stronger, member-led union
VAHPA Pulse is standing for a union that is democratic, transparent, organised, and led by its members. Our plan is built on the belief that allied health professionals deserve a union that listens, communicates clearly, and is ready to act with purpose.
This platform is about renewal, not rhetoric. We want to strengthen member participation, improve transparency and accountability, rebuild active organising structures, and ensure VAHPA is equipped to represent all allied health professionals with confidence and credibility.
Rebuild a union for every profession
Our priorities are shaped by a clear set of values: member power and democracy, transparency and trust, distributed leadership, operational strength, and social justice and solidarity. These are not abstract ideas. They shape how we want the union to function day to day, how decisions are made, and how members are supported to participate.
We believe members are not an audience or passive receivers of union services — they are the union. A stronger VAHPA starts with stronger structures for listening, organising, representation, and accountability.
Rebuild a union for every profession
1
VAHPA should represent the full breadth of allied health professions and ensure that members across disciplines, regions, and career stages can shape the union’s direction. We want a union where no profession feels overlooked and where profession-specific needs strengthen, rather than divide, our collective power.
We will:
→ Expand the Branch Committee of Management to increase ordinary member positions so more professions have a real voice in leadership.
→ Ensure representation across disciplines, regions, and career stages.
→ Rebuild profession-specific and cross-discipline identity within the union.
→ Strengthen collective bargaining by connecting profession-specific priorities to a united allied health strategy.
Outcome
Every profession is seen, heard, and represented without losing collective strength.
Put members back at the centre through real organising
2
A union is strongest when members can see it, feel it, and participate in it. We want to rebuild a visible, trusted organising model grounded in relationships, workplace presence, and active support for delegates and members.
We will:
→ Invest in more organisers to increase workplace presence.
→ Prioritise in-person support for delegates and members.
→ Address organiser turnover to improve continuity and trust.
→ Rebalance resources away from top-heavy structures and toward frontline organising.
→ Set clear goals for growing union density and engagement.
Outcome
A union members actually see — not just hear from occasionally.
We will:
→ Establish a dedicated and transparent industrial action fund.
→ Seed the fund and consult members on sustainable long-term contributions.
→ Support members taking protected industrial action and strategic legal cases.
→ Ensure members, not leadership alone, shape when and how action is taken.
A fighting union needs resources to back members when they are ready to act. VAHPA Pulse wants to ensure the union has the financial and strategic capacity to support protected industrial action, strategic cases, and member-led campaigns when needed.
Build a real action fund
3
Outcome
When members are ready to fight, the union is ready to back them.
Democracy should not only appear during elections. It should be built into the union’s everyday structures and major decisions. We want to make “nothing about us without us” a real operating principle, not just a slogan.
Embed member-led democracy in how the union works
4
We will:
→ Require genuine member consultation before major structural or strategic decisions.
→ Ensure delegates are involved in key discussions, including political advocacy.
→ Create clear pathways for members to propose and shape campaigns.
→ Reject top-down decision-making that sidelines members.
→ Build structural pathways for members to have input into the Branch Committee, including reinstating technical advisory groups.
Outcome
Members have a real role in shaping the union’s priorities, strategy, and future.
Improve transparency and accountability
5
We will:
→ Publish Branch Committee minutes, decisions, and financial summaries in a timely and accessible way.
→ Introduce regular “You said / We did” reporting.
→ Hold open member forums and Q&A sessions with leadership.
→ Develop clear and consistent communication channels, including interactive online drop-in sessions.
→ Ensure members can directly contact and engage with elected representatives.
Trust is built when decisions are visible, communication is honest, and members can clearly see how leadership is acting on their concerns. Transparency is not optional — it is essential to a healthy, democratic union.
Outcome
Members can see how decisions are made and who is responsible.
Rebuild strong reference groups and profession-based organising
6
We will:
→ Re-establish active, supported reference groups across all professions.
→ Provide administrative and organising support to keep groups functional.
→ Integrate reference groups directly into bargaining and campaign development.
→ Ensure both metro and regional voices are included.
Leadership and expertise exist across disciplines, workplaces, and communities. We want to rebuild supported reference groups so that the knowledge of members across professions feeds directly into bargaining, campaigns, and strategy.
Outcome
Expertise from every profession helps shape the union’s decisions and direction.
Invest in delegates and leadership development
7
Delegates are the backbone of a strong union. If we want a union that is member-led, active, and resilient, we need to invest in the people who organise in workplaces, support colleagues, and help build confidence across the membership.
We will:
→ Rebuild VAHPA-run delegate training and leadership development.
→ Reinstate regular delegate conferences, both statewide and sector-based.
→ Provide practical resources to support workplace organising.
→ Create stronger networks for delegates to collaborate and share strategies.
→ Build clearer pathways from member to delegate to union leadership.
Outcome
Confident, connected delegates driving change in every workplace.
The values behind the plan
Our platform is grounded in values that shape not only what we want to achieve, but how we want to lead.
Member power & democracy
Members are not an audience. They are the union, and they should shape its direction.
Transparency & trust
Trust grows when processes are open, communication is clear, and leadership is accountable.
Distributed leadership
Leadership should not be concentrated in one role or one group. It exists across professions, workplaces, and communities.
Operational strength
A values-driven union must also be well-run, strategic, and responsive.
Social justice & solidarity
Care, equity, and fairness sit at the heart of allied health work. They should also sit at the heart of our union.
Focused on the future
VAHPA Pulse is committed to a positive and constructive campaign because we believe optimism, clarity, and member leadership are powerful. Our plan is about building a stronger, more participatory union culture, supporting members to grow their confidence and collective power, and ensuring VAHPA is ready for the challenges ahead.
We are standing for a union that is trusted, relevant, and effective — now and into the future.