Despite the best efforts of Polio Australia and its member state polio networks over many years, successive federal and state governments have shown no interest in commissioning research to quantify the number of polio survivors living in Australia today and to understand their service needs. This is not merely unfortunate. Ignorance by governments of the size of Australia’s polio community means that no active planning is being undertaken for polio services which are currently needed and which will be required well into the future.
The Australian Polio Register was established by Polio Australia in October 2010 to gather information on the numbers of polio survivors living in Australia today, whether or not they contracted polio in this country. To make the Australian Polio Register truly reflective of the unmet need for polio services throughout Australia, we urge every Australian polio survivor to join the Polio Register, now on its own dedicated website, by clicking the button below. Our strength lies in our numbers – please help us to get you the services you need by supporting this initiative.
Note that all existing registrations which had been submitted on the Polio Australia website were transferred to the new Australian Polio Register website, so there is no need to register again if you have previously done so.