Queensland Budget invests in prevention and access, but misses opportunities for eye health

The 2026–27 Queensland Budget was handed down on 23 June, delivering significant investment in health, education, housing, community safety and infrastructure. It focuses strongly on preventive, early intervention and improving access to services across the State. While the Budget contains limited eye health-specific investment, it includes a notable commitment to children’s vision screening through the statewide expansion of the Healthy Kindy Kids program.

Health remains one of the Government’s largest investment priorities, with a record $35.5 billion health budget supporting the Hospital Rescue Plan, including three new hospitals, ten hospital expansions, additional health workers, expanded diagnostic services and funding for 30,000 elective surgeries through Surgery Connect. The Budget also includes measures to improve healthcare access in regional Queensland, including enhancements to the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme, with the fuel subsidy increasing by 11 cents per kilometre to a nation-leading 45 cents per kilometre, alongside investments to improve payment processing and reimbursement times.

The most significant eye health-related initiative is the expansion of Healthy Kindy Kids, which will provide free vision, hearing and speech development checks for children in kindergarten across Queensland. This investment recognises the importance of early detection and intervention in supporting children’s educational outcomes and long-term health and wellbeing.

While eye health was not otherwise specifically referenced throughout the Budget, several health, prevention and regional access initiatives align with Optometry Australia’s advocacy priorities and reinforce the value of community-based healthcare delivery.

However, despite ongoing engagement from Optometry Australia and the broader eye health sector, the Budget contains limited investment specifically directed towards eye health, vision care or blindness prevention. As such, there remains significant opportunity to further recognise the role optometrists can play in:
• Chronic disease management
• Early intervention and preventive healthcare
• Hospital avoidance and reducing pressure on specialist services
• Improving access to care in regional, rural and remote Queensland communities
• Supporting healthy ageing and reducing avoidable vision loss

The Budget’s substantial investment in health infrastructure, workforce growth and regional healthcare delivery presents opportunities to strengthen integration between optometry and the broader health system. New hospitals, expanded health services and increased elective surgery capacity will be important considerations for future discussions regarding eye care pathways and ophthalmology access across Queensland.

The Government’s continued focus on prevention, early intervention and community-based care reinforces the importance of ensuring vision care remains part of Queensland’s broader public health agenda. The statewide rollout of Healthy Kindy Kids provides a strong platform to continue advocating for children’s vision initiatives, given the well-established relationship between vision, literacy, educational attainment and classroom participation.

Over the past year, Optometry Australia has continued active advocacy with the Queensland Government, Members of Parliament and key stakeholders on several key priorities, including:
• Scope of practice reform and better utilisation of the optometry workforce
• Greater integration of optometrists within Queensland’s public hospital system and broader healthcare pathways
• Improved access to community-based eye care, particularly in regional and rural Queensland
• Preventive eye health initiatives and early detection programs

Optometry Australia will continue working proactively with the Queensland Government and stakeholders on behalf of our members to ensure eye health remains part of future health reform, preventive health strategies and Budget considerations.