In September 2025, Audiology Australia provided a submission to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability, on the Inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative.
Please check back on this page for further updates.
About the initiative
The Thriving Kids Initiative, proposed by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, seeks to establish a national system of supports for children aged eight and under with developmental delay and disability and low to moderate support needs and their families.
Submission focus areas
Audiology Australia’s submission focused on key issues, risks, and recommendations concerning autism, Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), hearing loss as a comorbidity and misdiagnosis, and the importance of linking hearing with developmental screening and milestone tracking.
The submission emphasised:
- that audiologists are well-qualified in equipping parents with the knowledge and tools to recognise early indicators of childhood developmental concerns, but would benefit from further strategic engagement with parent networks
- the need for including hearing and listening milestones into developmental screening programs, to track atypical hearing and other developmental trajectories among children
- strengthening workforce training and referral pathways for health professionals other than Audiologists, to more easily identify APD or hearing loss in children with developmental delays
- the need for improved coordination, supported by shared national records, across health, education and community sectors, so families can more easily move between services to support their children.
Updates
Federal Government announces the rollout of Thriving Kids
On 30 January 2026, the Federal Government announced the rollout of Thriving Kids.
Thriving Kids will roll out from 1 October 2026, with full national implementation by 1 January 2028. From 2028, many children eligible for support in the Thriving Kids initiative will be supported through mainstream and Foundational Supports rather than the NDIS, while children with permanent and significant disability or high support needs will remain eligible for the NDIS.
Services will be delivered by states and territories and include information and navigation, parenting supports and targeted allied health supports. Audiologists are explicitly included among the allied health professionals who may provide these targeted supports.
Read more about Thriving Kids Read the Prime Minister’s announcement
Audiology Australia’s response
While Thriving Kids focuses on developmental delay and autism, it is likely to indirectly affect audiology. More children with hearing needs may sit outside the NDIS, increasing reliance on state-funded and mainstream pathways. The strong emphasis on early identification creates an opportunity to embed hearing screening and audiological assessment early – but also creates a risk that hearing could be overlooked if not clearly integrated into developmental pathways.
Thriving Kids is still being designed, and how audiology is commissioned and positioned now will matter. Audiology Australia is monitoring these developments closely and providing input to NDIA.
Please contact us if you have any concerns.
Release of the No child left behind report
The No child left behind report has now been released.
The chief recommendation of the report was that the “…Thriving Kids Advisory Group undertake an inclusive co-design process and embed evidence-based policies and interventions, as well as the ability to formally review progress on these processes” (Recommendation 1*).
Other relevant recommendations include:
- “Data infrastructure must support interoperability, enabling seamless sharing and integration across relevant platforms and agencies to avoid duplication and enhance efficiency” (Recommendation 8*)
- “…that participation in the Thriving Kids initiative will not preclude an individual from seeking to participate in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, once their time in the Thriving Kids initiative has concluded” (Recommendation 9*)
- “…that a consultative group of professional organisations (including allied health peak bodies, paediatricians, child psychiatrists, child & family nurses, early childhood educators, and school educators) and parents involved in the system themselves, be part of the review process” (Recommendation 11*).
* Emphasis added.
Read the report online Read the report PDF
Audiology Australia’s response
Audiology Australia welcomes the release of the No child left behind report, in particular its recommendations to involve allied health bodies as part of the formal review process for Thriving Kids, to enhance data sharing between organisations, and to ensure participating in the program does not impact NDIS eligibility.
If actioned, these recommendations will help children with hearing or listening concerns receive the care that they deserve quicker and experience a more seamless transition between health care providers.
Audiology Australia will continue to track the development of the Thriving Kids program and provide information to members about how Audiologists will be affected once the program is developed.