New Medicare health check for three-year-olds gets strong support
03 Feb 2026
The check aims to spot developmental delays and neurodevelopmental differences early, so families can get help sooner.
The recommendation was included in the Thriving Kids Advisory Group’s final report, released on Tuesday. The report outlines a new model of care under the Federal Government’s Thriving Kids program.
Earlier, National Cabinet agreed to fund the program, with the Federal Government committing $2 billion, matched by states and territories. The program is designed to support children aged eight and under who have developmental delay or autism and need low to moderate support.
According to the report, the one-off Medicare-funded check could be carried out by GPs, child and family health nurses, practice nurses, or nurse practitioners. The goal is to create a nationally consistent way to identify developmental concerns earlier.
RACGP Specific Interests Child and Young Person’s Health Chair Dr Tim Jones, a member of the advisory group, said the recommendation was supported by everyone involved. He said this shows broad agreement, including from a recent Parliamentary Inquiry that also backed the idea.
Dr Jones said the focus for health professionals would shift away from rushing to make a formal diagnosis. Instead, the aim would be to identify children’s needs early and help families access the right supports.
He also said more help and training would be provided for GPs before a new Medicare item is introduced, which he expects could happen in November this year.
Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler said the changes are needed to address the high number of children entering the NDIS for developmental delay and autism. In some areas, he said, as many as one in four primary-school-aged boys are enrolled.
Minister Butler explained that the new model focuses on early identification, easy access to information, building parents’ skills, and providing targeted support. Importantly, families would not need a formal diagnosis to receive help.
The advisory group noted that while bulk billing is not guaranteed, similar health assessment items are bulk billed at very high rates. They also attract bulk-billing incentives.
Dr Jones said the new item would be different from the former Healthy Kids Check for four-year-olds, which ended in 2014. This new check would look more closely at social and emotional development, milestones, and family wellbeing at an earlier age.
The Thriving Kids program was originally due to start earlier, but its rollout has now been delayed by three months to 1 October, to give states and territories more time to prepare.
Source: newsGP
