ADHD Medication Prescribing Rules by State: 2026 Update

Who can prescribe ADHD stimulant medication in Australia depends on which state or territory you live in, and several states changed their rules through 2025 and into 2026. Here is a state-by-state summary of the current prescribing settings.

Which prescriber can start or continue ADHD stimulant medication depends on the state or territory you live in, and the rules changed in more than one state through 2025 and into 2026. Below is a state-by-state summary of who holds prescribing authority right now. Because these settings keep shifting, the state government links in the sources list are the fastest way to see updates as they land.

New South Wales

Psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists can prescribe stimulant medication under a class authority, up to set maximum daily doses, without needing individual approval for each patient. From 1 September 2025, accredited GPs gained a continuation prescriber role, letting them resupply and keep treating patients who are already stable on medication. A smaller endorsed prescriber track lets specially trained GPs diagnose and start medication themselves. Any other GP needs individual approval from NSW Health and a documented arrangement to share care with a specialist.

Victoria

Victoria keeps prescribing authority narrower. Paediatricians can prescribe for patients under 18, and psychiatrists can prescribe at any age, both without a state permit, as long as the patient isn't drug-dependent. Every other prescriber, including a GP, needs a permit, and one is generally only issued where a specialist has made the diagnosis and reviewed the patient recently.

Queensland

Queensland made the broadest change of any state. From 1 December 2025, all specialist GPs can initiate, modify and continue psychostimulants for adults aged 18 and over who have ADHD, within existing maximum dose limits. Specialist GP is the registration category, meaning a vocationally registered GP, so unlike Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT there is no separate ADHD training course attached. Paediatricians had their authorisations extended at the same time so they can prescribe to young adults with ADHD aged 18 to 24, which smooths the handover out of paediatric care. A diagnosis still has to be reached first; the change is about who can prescribe once that diagnosis exists, not about skipping the assessment.

Western Australia

Approved specialists, meaning psychiatrists and paediatricians or paediatric neurologists, can prescribe S8 stimulant medicines without sign-off from the WA Chief Executive Officer. Other prescribers, including GPs and nurse practitioners, can continue an existing prescription under shared care once a specialist has written the first one. S8 stimulants aren't permitted under age two, and WA allows only one S8 prescriber per patient at a time, checked through the ScriptCheckWA system.

South Australia

South Australia opened a trained GP pathway on 28 February 2026. Specially trained South Australian GPs can now assess, diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for ADHD in children 8 years old and above, as well as adults where clinically appropriate, without needing to make a referral to a psychiatrist or paediatrician. That makes it the only jurisdiction whose GP diagnosis pathway reaches into primary school ages. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners lists the GPs who have completed the training. Separately from who may diagnose, South Australia controls duration: prescribing a drug of dependence for a patient’s regular use beyond two months requires an authority from the Minister, applied for through ScriptCheckSA.

Tasmania

Tasmania requires an authority from the Secretary of the Department of Health for every patient before a Schedule 8 psychostimulant prescription is issued, and that applies to psychiatrists and paediatricians as much as to GPs. What the current rules opened up is who may apply. A GP who has completed the specified training, meaning the RACGP or ACRRM online modules plus a six hour Tasmanian ADHD workshop, can diagnose ADHD and initiate treatment. A GP trained to diagnose ADHD in another Australian jurisdiction is recognised for Tasmanian patients too, which matters for telehealth. GPs without that training, and nurse practitioners, can still be authorised where a relevant practitioner has made the diagnosis and supplied a clinical report.

Australian Capital Territory

From 11 February 2026 the ACT runs on Standing Chief Health Officer Approvals rather than approving each patient. GPs who complete specified additional training and notify the Chief Health Officer can continue prescribing without a per patient approval and without ongoing specialist review, for patients who are stable, aged 6 and over, already diagnosed by a relevant specialist, and on doses within the limits in the approval. A second standing approval lets all psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists prescribe for patients aged 4 and over within specified dose limits without applying patient by patient. Every ACT prescriber has to register for and review Canberra Script, the territory’s real time prescription monitoring system, before prescribing.

A second stage is scheduled. GPs with further training will be authorised to diagnose ADHD and initiate medication in non-complex patients over 6 years of age who are not drug dependent, though they will still apply for approval for individual patients. ACT Health has said more information will be available later in 2026.

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has not opened a GP pathway. Dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate are restricted Schedule 8 substances, and authorisation from the Chief Health Officer is required for each individual patient before a prescription can be issued. Only paediatricians, psychiatrists, physicians, neurologists and registrars training in those disciplines may make the decision to start treatment. Other prescribers may continue it afterwards, and under that co-management arrangement the patient has to be seen by a specialist or registrar at least every two years.

What holds everywhere, and what does not

One thing holds in every jurisdiction: a formal diagnosis has to exist before any prescribing pathway opens. What is no longer true is the old rule of thumb that only the prescribing step varies by state. Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania now let some GPs make the diagnosis itself, and New South Wales does through a small endorsed prescriber group, so both halves of the pathway are set locally. Victoria and the Northern Territory are the two jurisdictions where the diagnosis still has to come from a specialist in every case.

See the full rules for all eight jurisdictions side by side, including which prescribers can start treatment, when a permit or approval is required, and the date each rule was last checked against its government source.

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Common questions

Can a GP prescribe ADHD medication in every Australian state?

No, and the differences are now wider than they were. Queensland is the broadest: any specialist GP, meaning a vocationally registered GP, can initiate treatment for adults from 1 December 2025 with no extra ADHD training required. South Australia and Tasmania allow it for GPs who complete specified training, and South Australia covers children from age 8. In Victoria and the Northern Territory a specialist still has to make the diagnosis in every case.

Do these prescribing rules change often?

Yes. New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania all changed their rules between September 2025 and February 2026, and Western Australia is training a first group of GPs to finish in August 2026. The government pages linked in the sources list carry the current position for each jurisdiction.

Where can I compare all eight jurisdictions?

The prescribing rules section of this site sets out all eight side by side, across who can start treatment, who can continue it, whether a permit or approval is needed, nurse practitioner rules, age limits and the prescription monitoring system, with the date each rule was last checked against its source.