20/06/2025
Statement of Disagreement Regarding Proposed Decrease to Dietetic Service Rates
I am writing this to express our (all dietitians) strong opposition to the proposed decrease in the hourly rate for dietetic services under the current funding arrangements. This decision will have a disproportionately negative impact on an already disadvantaged and marginalised population—namely, individuals living with disability—by restricting their access to critical nutrition care.
Dietitians are highly qualified allied health professionals who play a vital role in improving quality of life and long-term health outcomes for people with disability. Our work extends far beyond basic nutrition advice. We provide essential services such as managing complex feeding issues, supporting enteral nutrition, addressing swallowing and gastrointestinal disorders, mitigating the risks of malnutrition and obesity, and tailoring therapeutic diets for individuals with co-morbidities. These interventions can significantly reduce hospitalisations, prevent complications, and improve functional independence.
To reduce the hourly rate of dietetic services—while leaving the rates for our allied health counterparts untouched—undermines the value and legitimacy of our profession. This not only creates inequity within the allied health workforce but also sends a demoralising message to providers and clients alike that nutrition care is somehow less critical. It is not.
Such a move risks forcing experienced dietitians out of the sector, further widening the service gap in rural, remote, and under-resourced areas where clients already struggle to access skilled professionals. It also undermines the financial viability of practices committed to serving high-need populations.
We urge the government and decision-makers to uphold parity among allied health professions and immediately reverse this inequitable proposal. Dietitians deserve equal recognition and reimbursement for their contributions to the wellbeing of people with disability. Without this, we risk devaluing a profession that is central to the multidisciplinary care model the sector depends upon.
Maintaining fair and consistent funding for all allied health providers is not only a matter of justice—it is a matter of ensuring the health, dignity, and quality of life of those we serve.
