Session rollovers
In November 2025, the Australian Government introduced several changes to the MBS initiative following an evaluation of the program. There were a number of aspects to this however one particular aspect that has not gotten much air time is the issue of referral rollovers. It does not change the number of sessions available in a calendar year, however it may affect referral processes, particularly towards the end of 2026 as we transition to this new approach. As before, eligible clients can receive up to 10 individual sessions with a psychologist per calendar year. A maximum of 6 sessions can be referred in the initial course of treatment with a further 4 sessions able to be referred within the same calendar year in a subsequent referral. One change that may impact the process of referral is that a client may not be referred for more than the sessions they are entitled to for that referral (eg 6 or 4) or for the year. This means that they no longer roll over into the following year. All clients with ongoing treatment under an MHTP will be required to present to their GP in January or prior to their first rebated session for the new year. We will of course do our best to give clients a heads up about this to allow for this process to occur smoothly for families, though it is helpful if all have an awareness of this in advance to limit issues of rebate continuity.
Increases to Medicare rebates
Increases are yet to be released however are expected to be shared within the next 6 weeks or so. In 2025, this increase equated to 2.4% on the previous year’s MBS rebates. This is typically implemented from 1 July each year.