GPs and ADHD professionals are calling for nationally consistent rules that would allow patients across Australia to benefit from faster, fairer, and more affordable ADHD care.
With state and federal health ministers set to meet later this week, the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), and Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) have written a letter urging them to allow GPs to use their full training and expertise to diagnose and treat ADHD.
The proposed changes would help patients and families avoid long delays and high costs, and also ease pressure on Australia's healthcare system by freeing up more time for non-GP specialists like paediatricians and psychiatrists to provide other kinds of care.
The joint letter urges state and federal health ministers to act at their 12 September meeting by:
- making prescribing rules consistent across Australia so specialist GPs, as well as psychiatrists and paediatricians, can start, change, and continue ADHD medications for adults and children by 30 June 2026
- aligning criteria such as age limits, review periods, and transition rules from child to adult care
- funding GP training, mentorship and tools, as is already happening in NSW and WA.
The three organisations stressed that GPs are highly trained specialists who can accurately and safely diagnose ADHD and prescribe medications responsibly, supported by strong clinical guidelines, established training frameworks, embedded safeguards, and clear referral pathways for complex cases.
At their last meeting in June, health ministers agreed that harmonising ADHD prescribing rules would be a key priority, alongside improving access to diagnosis, affordability, and patient care. This follows the Senate inquiry into ADHD, which also called for national consistency and better access.
Quotes attributable to RACGP President Dr Michael Wright
"This is a chance for health ministers to make sure patients get consistent, affordable ADHD care no matter where they live.
"We have an opportunity to get ADHD care available right around Australia and help patients thrive.
"GPs are specialists who undertake more than a decade of education and training, including on ADHD care. Our whole-of-person approach means we can help patients with ADHD achieve good sleep and life balance, manage stress, and reach their potential in school and at work. We can refer patients to services where they need more support to manage any co-occurring conditions."
Quotes attributable to ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin
"We need a national move to harmonise the laws that determine how ADHD is managed by GPs and Rural Generalists. Our patients' access to care shouldn't be determined by where they live.
"The lower access to diagnosis and treatment for ADHD in rural and remote Australia reflects both the reduced access to non-GP specialists outside capital cities and the difference Rural Generalists and rural GPs trained in ADHD can make to that access.
"Inconsistent rules across states and territories also mean patients face longer waits for care and challenges when they move. Whether a GP can provide care for a patient with ADHD is determined more by which side of a border they're on than that GP's training or experience in ADHD care. That inconsistency serves no one and further reduces health outcomes for rural, remote, and First Nations communities."
Quotes attributable to AADPA President Professor David Coghill
"This is an opportunity for health ministers to agree on consistent rules that deliver timely, accurate and evidence-based ADHD assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
"When GPs have the right tools, appropriate training, and support, they can provide safe and appropriate care for both children and adults.
"Making non-complex ADHD care available through GPs will increase access to care, reduce inequality and costs, and improve the lives of Australians."
Background
Several states and territories have already committed to reform:
- NSW: GPs can continue medication from September 2025, and train to diagnose and prescribe by the end of 2025
- WA: GPs to begin independent diagnosis and prescribing in early 2026
- SA: GPs to be enabled to diagnose and prescribe in 2026
- ACT: Pilot expected from January 2026
- Tasmania: Both major parties have committed to reform
- Queensland: GPs have been able to diagnose and prescribe medication for children aged 4–18 since 2017, and is looking to expand this to adults
- Other states and territories are yet to announce plans.
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