We have lodged our Federal Pre-Budget Submission 2026–27, calling on the Australian Government to invest in early intervention and a sustainable speech pathology workforce so you can continue delivering high-quality support.
This submission reflects what you consistently raise with us: growing demand, workforce strain, outdated Medicare settings, and funding that does not reflect the true cost of service provision. Our proposals target funding opportunities that are within the Australian Government’s remit. The recommendations focus on improving access to speech pathology for children and young people, modernising Medicare, and strengthening the workforce.
Invest early so children can thrive
One in 4 children in Australia are not developmentally on track with their communication skills when they
start school.
Without timely support, these children face poorer literacy outcomes, reduced educational attainment, lower
workforce participation and increased long-term reliance on government services.
We are calling on the Australian Government to:
- Fund speech pathology services in 3,576 early childhood education and care centres in areas of greatest
socioeconomic disadvantage.
- Ensure access to speech pathology under Thriving Kids including:
- expanding the Inclusion Development Fund;
- employing speech pathologists in inclusion agencies to
upskill early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings and provide training for educators
such as the Learning Language and Loving It program; and
- introducing a new Medicare item so children can access 10 or more additional speech pathology
sessions without requiring a formal diagnosis.
- Modernise the Medicare Chronic Conditions Management Plan:
- Increase the rebate from $61.80 to at least $83.38 per 20+
minute session to account for inflation and service cost increases.
- Realistic session lengths of 45 to 60 minutes or longer, with rebates
increased proportionately.
- Increase in the number of allied health sessions available each year from 5 to at least 12.
Early intervention delivers strong returns. Australian modelling estimates that effective treatment of speech,
language and communication needs could generate lifetime savings of approximately $5.22 billion nationally.
This is an investment in children and in the future sustainability of the system.
Strengthen the workforce so you can keep delivering care
Australia faces a critical shortage of speech pathologists, with one of the lowest fill rates across all health
professions. Without action, access will continue to decline, particularly in rural and regional communities.
We are calling for:
- Inclusion of speech pathology students in the Commonwealth Prac Payment program to reduce the financial
burden of essential student placements, which are unpaid.
- A targeted grants program to expand student placement supervision and
early-career supervision.
- A grants program to collect data from sole traders and small businesses to inform an accurate and
sustainable NDIS pricing methodology.
- Transitional funding to support employers implementing minimum wage increases for speech
pathologists under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award.
You have told us that current funding settings do not reflect the true cost of service provision. This
is particularly evident in the NDIS, where therapy price limits have remained static for more
than 6 years. Our submission makes it clear that sustainable pricing and workforce investment must
go hand in hand.
Build a sustainable system that works for you and your clients
Communication is a fundamental human right. When funding reflects clinical reality and workforce costs, children can
access early support, services remain viable, and communities benefit from stronger participation
and reduced long-term costs.
We will continue advocating for reforms that support you to deliver safe, high-quality care in a sustainable
system.
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