Opening in stages
Where the Australian Capital Territory sits on GP diagnosis and prescribing, as at 8 August 2026.
$467.45
Medicare rebate on item 92435, psychiatrist assessment by video. Same rebate in person. Once per 12 months.
~$1,400
What a private psychiatrist assessment commonly costs before the rebate.
Part 1 of 4
Can a GP diagnose ADHD in the Australian Capital Territory?
Not yet, for a new diagnosis. Since 11 February 2026 a trained GP can continue ADHD medicines for stable patients aged six and over who already have a specialist diagnosis. A second stage, in which trained GPs diagnose ADHD and start medicines, is announced for later in 2026 but is not yet open.
A psychiatrist assessment by video is the reliable route for now, and the ACT publishes clear official pages on how ADHD care currently works, linked below.
The February change also removed the Chief Health Officer approval step for psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists prescribing within defined dose limits, and the territory still publishes some of the clearest official ADHD pathway pages in the country.
The national picture, including every other state and what changes next, lives in the GP diagnosis guide.
Part 2 of 4
The psychiatrist route, and why video changed it
A GP referral to a psychiatrist remains the standard route wherever the GP path is closed, and video assessment attracts the same Medicare rebate as in person: $467.45 on item 92435, claimable once every 12 months. Video means the psychiatrist does not have to be in your state at all.
The number that matters is not the clinic's headline fee but your gap after the rebate, and it swings by more than a thousand dollars between clinics billing the same item. Ask for the gap in writing before you book, ask the wait for the medication appointment rather than the first call, and check the assessing practitioner on the Ahpra register, all covered in the assessment section of our resources page.
A typical wait to see a psychiatrist is around twelve months, and clinics with short waits often charge accordingly. The cost guide walks the whole bill, including what happens after diagnosis.
Part 3 of 4
The official pages for the Australian Capital Territory
Stimulants are Schedule 8 medicines, so the rules on who can prescribe them are state law, administered by the health department. These are the official pages, plus the organisations worth knowing here.
ACT Government: ADHD care in the ACT
The territory's official explainer on current ADHD pathways.
- Free
- Government run
ACT Government: prescribing stimulants for ADHD
The prescribing rules ACT clinicians work under.
- Free
- Government run
ACT Child Development Service: autism assessment
The public autism assessment route for children in the territory.
- Free
- Government run
University of Canberra: neuropsychological and cognitive assessments
The Canberra university clinic route for reduced fee assessment, about $750 to $950 depending on complexity.
- Reduced fee
- University clinic
Part 4 of 4
If you are starting from zero today
Work out whether the traits fit, take that to a GP, choose the route this page describes, and budget from the gap, not the headline. None of it needs to happen in one week.
Start with the recognition tool if you are still working out whether to start at all; it sorts thirty-two experiences into ADHD flavoured, autistic flavoured and shared, and it is not a test. Then the resources directory holds the checked links for everything this page mentions: money help, medicine rules, work and study rights, and who to call in a bad week.
If both autism and ADHD are in question, read the AuDHD explainer before booking, and ask any assessor whether they cover both in one process.
The short version
Quick answers
Can a GP diagnose ADHD in the Australian Capital Territory?
Not yet, for a new diagnosis. Since 11 February 2026 a trained GP can continue ADHD medicines for stable patients aged six and over who already have a specialist diagnosis. A second stage, in which trained GPs diagnose ADHD and start medicines, is announced for later in 2026 but is not yet open. A psychiatrist assessment by video is the reliable route for now, and the ACT publishes clear official pages on how ADHD care currently works, linked below.
How much does an ADHD assessment cost in the Australian Capital Territory?
The psychiatrist route: commonly about $1,400 before Medicare, $467.45 back on item 92435. The University of Canberra clinic, linked on our resources page, is the local reduced fee option.
Who sets the prescribing rules in the Australian Capital Territory?
Stimulants are Schedule 8 medicines, so the state or territory health department controls who may prescribe them and under what authority. The official page is linked on this guide, and it is the authority when anything here has aged.