The Australian Federal Government has delivered its official response to the landmark Senate inquiry into Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), offering full support for only one of the inquiry’s 15 core recommendations: developing uniform and nationally consistent prescribing rules for ADHD medication.
The inquiry’s final report, which highlighted that over one million Australians have ADHD, concluded the condition is a “public health concern” with an estimated economic cost of over $20 billion annually due to fragmented care and systemic barriers.
Key Points of the Government’s Response:
Full Support for National Consistency: The Government fully backed the call to expedite uniform prescribing rules across all states and territories. This is aimed at ending the “postcode lottery” that currently dictates access to diagnosis and treatment.
NDIS Inclusion ‘Noted’: A key point of contention for advocacy groups is the government’s decision to merely “note” the recommendation to clarify and improve the eligibility of ADHD under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). People with Disability Australia (PWDA) expressed disappointment, arguing this lack of commitment will delay meaningful support for non-medication therapies like occupational therapy and psychology.
Partial Support for Affordability: Nine recommendations, including reviewing Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to reduce the high out-of-pocket costs for assessment and management, were supported “in principle.”
Advocacy bodies welcomed the commitment to consistent medication rules but urged the government to move swiftly on the other recommendations, particularly establishing a clear pathway for ADHD support within the NDIS to address the crisis in affordability and access.