Queensland health minister declines to endorse federal ‘Thriving Kids’ scheme, citing support gaps

In a statement delivered on Wednesday, Queensland’s health minister Tim Nicholls reiterated that the state will not join the Commonwealth’s Thriving Kids program, a federal initiative scheduled for full implementation by 2028 that proposes to transfer children under nine years of age with mild developmental delays and autism away from the National Disability Insurance Scheme and into a new, as yet undefined, support structure.

Nicholls argued that the plan, which he described as a cost‑shifting measure designed to burden the states with responsibilities the federal government intends to abandon, lacks a demonstrably adequate framework to guarantee that families of affected children receive the specialised services they require during the critical early years of development, and he further emphasized that Queensland will only commit to the scheme once it can be assured that any replacement system matches or exceeds the existing NDIS provisions, thereby avoiding the creation of a support vacuum that could leave vulnerable children and their caregivers without essential assistance.

To date, Queensland remains the sole jurisdiction that has withheld its signature, a position that underscores the growing disparity between the Commonwealth’s ambition to streamline disability funding and the practical realities confronting state health departments tasked with delivering consistent, high‑quality care to their constituents, and the minister’s cautionary stance reflects a broader skepticism within the state about the feasibility of reallocating resources without an explicit, fully funded transition plan, especially given the absence of clear financial guarantees from the federal treasury to offset the anticipated expenditures.

Observes note that the episode exemplifies a recurring pattern in Australian intergovernmental relations, wherein national policy proposals are advanced without sufficient consultation, thereby prompting reluctant states to adopt a defensive posture that ultimately hinders the coordinated delivery of services to those most in need, and unless the Commonwealth revises its approach to incorporate comprehensive safeguards and reliable financing, the promised benefits of the Thriving Kids scheme risk remaining an unrealized ambition, leaving children with mild developmental challenges to navigate an uncertain future within an increasingly fragmented welfare architecture.

Published: April 29, 2026

Published: April 29, 2026