18 June 2025
A national study of 288,483 Australian children in their first year of school has found more children are lagging behind in their early childhood development, reigniting calls for more paediatricians.
The latest report from the 2024 Australian Early Childhood Development Census explores physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, communication skills and general knowledge. The newest data shows almost a quarter of children are facing developmental difficulties in one or more of these areas.
The report also showed a disparity in outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, which highlights the inequity First Nations children continue to face.
Dr Niroshini Kennedy, President of Paediatric and Child Health at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), is concerned about the latest results.
“We know that 90 per cent of brain development occurs in the first five years of life and this time is so important for determining children's future health, wellbeing and success,” Dr Kennedy said.
“Once children start school behind – as these results show many are – they are much less likely to catch up, than if early intervention and support had been provided. This is why the RACP calls for investment in a child’s early years.”
“Too many families are missing the recommended early childhood development checks – which are recommended at 18 months, 2 years, 3 years and 4 years of age – and facing long waitlists for assessment because of a shortage of paediatricians and other child health professionals.”
The RACP calls for funding models of care that integrate multidisciplinary teams in health, social care and education and ensure priority populations, such as Indigenous families and those in living rural and remote locations, are appropriately considered.
“Paediatricians are key in a child's healthcare team, working collaboratively with other health professionals to diagnose and treat a wide range of health conditions, and specialising in areas like developmental or behavioural paediatrics,” Dr Kennedy said.
Dr Kennedy said “governments must create more paediatric training places, including in regional and rural areas, to ensure the necessary workforce pipeline for the future demand.
“There is substantial evidence that investing in early childhood is the most cost-effective means of addressing chronic health conditions and health equity – so investing in our kids now will have massive health benefits in the long run.
“If we want to turn these numbers around for children born in the next 10 years, we need better planning for child health professionals now. At the root of this is a well-funded public health system,” says Dr Kennedy.