Hi there,

Welcome to CheckIN's final edition for 2025. In this edition, we are proud to release the 2024-2025 Annual Report. Read about program achievements, partnerships, and outcomes from the past financial year. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in our final Queensland Primary Health Care Network (QPHCN) event for 2025. With a focus on Disability Action Week, attendees enjoyed listening to MC, Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, alongside a fantastic line-up of presenters. We extend gratitude to our sponsor PSC MediProtect.

Along with the recent QPHCN event, CheckUP teams have been visiting regions, hosting and attending events, and connecting with partners, members, and communities across Queensland.

CheckUP continues to offer online micro-credential courses, including Disability Friendly Business Basics to help businesses build more inclusive services, and Access for All: Disability Awareness Training for Health Providers. Complete our micro-credential courses to become an inclusive business ahead of Brisbane 2032 Olympics. 

Keep reading below for relevant health sector news, industry events, and more.

Above: Ann Maree Liddy, CheckUP CEO

Please note that CheckUP will be closed from 5pm on Friday, 19 December 2025, and reopen at 9am on Monday, 5 January 2026. 

As we get closer to the end of the year, we sincerely thank you for your continued support in 2025! Season's Greetings.

Best wishes,

Ann Maree Liddy
Chief Executive Officer
CheckUP

Season's Greetings

CheckUP wishes you all a healthy and joyful festive season.

We appreciate your support this year, and we look forward to working together in 2026.

CheckUP offices will be closed from 5pm on Friday, 19 December 2025, and will reopen at 9am on Monday, 5 January 2025.

Disability Action Week QPHCN event wrap-up

Thank you to everyone who attended the final Queensland Primary Health Care Network (QPHCN) event of 2025! We were fortunate to hear from expert speakers who explored the Disability Action Week 2025 theme: ‘Communicate. Connect. Create.’

CheckUP thanks all of the speakers for sharing their lived experiences and valuable insights.

We also extend gratitude to our sponsor, PSC MediProtect, who assisted us in coordinating the event and raising awareness about Disability Action Week.

Read more about the successful event HERE.

CheckUP's AfA team exhibited at the Brisbane AMAQ Intern Readiness Workshop

CheckUP's Access for All Manager, Amanda Frier, and David Millipchap, CheckUP's General Manager – Engagement & Business Development, recently attended the AMA Queensland (AMAQ) Intern Readiness Workshop in Brisbane.

The workshop was designed to prepare medical students for internships, guiding them to transition from student to medical practitioner with confidence. This workshop offered a perfect platform for Amanda and David to promote CheckUP's Access for All online course, designed to improve disability awareness among health providers.

Amanda will also attend the Townsville Workshop on 17 December. Be sure to visit to learn more about Access for All.

2025 snapshot for the Health Gateway Project

This year has been one of growth, innovation, and collaboration for the Health Gateway to Industry Schools Project. Here’s a 2025 snapshot of achievements:

• 97 Health Gateway schools engaged across Queensland
• 6800+ student participants in Health Gateway events and activities
• 54 industry engagement events delivered
• 260+ educators participated in professional development opportunities 
• 32 students and educators recognised at the 2025 Health Gateway Awards

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey!

New Child Safety Organisations Act - view our recorded webinar

From 1 January 2026, significant new child safety legislation will begin to come into effect for all health services in Queensland. Organisations that provide services to children will need to demonstrate how they're keeping them safe.

To learn about the reforms and the steps you need to take now to ensure your service is compliant, you can view a recording of our recent webinar here: 
What do I need to know? Understanding the New Child Safe Organisations Act

CheckUP co-hosted the webinar with experts from the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC).

Free information session for NDIS Registration Readiness Training 

Struggling with NDIS compliance? Register for NDIS Business Connect's online Information Session on 17 December from 9 - 10.30am to learn about a free 5-part micro-credential series designed for small Queensland providers. Get practical strategies to navigate registration requirements with confidence.

To learn more about how CheckUP supports new and existing sole traders and small businesses providing services to people with disability, visit NDIS Business Connect.

Become an inclusive business ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics

Brisbane 2032 Olympics is putting every Queensland business under the spotlight for inclusion. Are you ready?

Disability-inclusive businesses grow profits 4x faster than their peers (JobAccess), and with the most accessible Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to 11 cities across Queensland, now's the time to build your capability.

CheckUP's FREE Disability Friendly Business Basics micro-credentials course offers practical skills to make business services more inclusive and welcoming. Strengthen your confidence, grow your customer base, and create a business where everyone feels they belong.

Complete the FREE course today!

Watch Disability Friendly Business Basics Program Manager, Deb Rooskov, in this engaging and informative video to start your journey to becoming a more inclusive business today!

View the Video below

Get workforce-ready in 2026 with CheckUP's free workforce planning advice

CheckUP serves as the Industry Workforce Advisor organisation for the following sectors:

• First Nations healthcare and social assistance
• Health
• Community Services

The Industry Workforce Advisor program supports small-to-medium-sized health and community services businesses to address workforce challenges, diversify their workforces, and drive workforce and productivity growth.

For free workforce planning advice for any of the sectors we support, please complete the Expression of Interest form via the link below.

GPs to prescribe adult ADHD medications in Queensland

Queensland will be the first Australian state to allow specialist GPs to prescribe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications to adults. 

As of 1 December 2025, GPs who have completed additional training to diagnose and treat ADHD will be able to initiate, adjust, and continue prescriptions for ADHD medications for adults.

Paediatricians will also have their authorisations extended to enable them to prescribe psychostimulants to young adults with ADHD (aged 18 to 24 years), within existing maximum dose limits.

These changes reflect a national shift towards community-based ADHD management.

View the Ministerial Media Statement HERE.

Be aware of melioidosis this wet season

Queensland Health is reminding residents in the state’s tropical north to take precautions against melioidosis this wet season.

Melioidosis is an uncommon disease caused by a bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei, found in soil and water in northern Australia and South East Asia.

In Queensland, cases usually occur between December and May, often after heavy rain and flooding.

Nurture mental health during the holiday season

Many experience the holidays as a joyful and celebratory time, but for some, it brings a range of challenging emotions and thoughts.

It's okay to feel lonely, angry, anxious, stressed, sad, or otherwise. The important thing is to acknowledge your emotions and realise that your wellbeing matters.

To support people during the holidays and beyond, Lifeline Australia has created an online mental wellness toolkit. This helpful resource offers practical advice on taking good care of yourself during what can be a challenging time.

For tips on self-care, staying connected, accessing online forums, phone support services, and more, visit the Lifeline website.

Be storm ready - for holiday travels and home life

Ahead of the festive holidays, Queenslanders are urged to be prepared for storms and plan ahead for travelling. Storms and road closures can quickly turn fun travels into chaos.

Be ready: pack your emergency kit, check the weather, know your route, and don't forget to pack family medication, if required.

Download “Protection While You’re Out and About on the Road” for tips that will keep you safe while travelling.

For additional tips on preparing for storms generally, and while at home, view the link below.

Two new Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics to open in regional Queensland

CheckUP congratulates True Relationships & Reproductive Health (True) on being named as one of the providers in the Australian Government’s expansion of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics.

Thanks to the Australian Government’s landmark Women’s Health Package, True will deliver two new Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics in regional Queensland in early 2026. These clinics will serve communities in Rockhampton, Moura, Mount Morgan, Discovery Coast (Agnes Water), Blackall, and Norman Gardens through Country to Coast PHN and Western Queensland PHN.

Congratulations to True, Country to Coast PHN and Western Queensland PHN for expanding this vital work to support even more women and girls across Queensland. 

Save the date for HCQ's Annual Forum 2026 

Health Consumers Queensland (HCQ) will be hosting its 2026 Annual Forum on 27-28 April on the Gold Coast.

Save the date for what will be an interactive program of dynamic discussion, guest speakers, success stories and health sector news. 

For more information or display and sponsorship opportunities, email info@hcq.org.au with the subject line Exhibition Enquiry.

Culture as your competitive advantage

If you have ever worked somewhere with a great culture, you feel it the moment you walk in. There is energy. People smile. Meetings actually end on time. Okay, maybe not always, but close enough.

And when culture is not great, you feel that too. The sighs. The quiet frustration. The sense that “we have always done it this way” has more power than it should.

To learn more about the importance of a great Culture, read Carole Cooper Consulting's full article below.

Reconciliation, truth-telling and First Nations rights

Reconciliation Australia recently welcomed a new statement in support of reconciliation, truth-telling, and First Nations rights, signed recently at the 2025 National Settlement Conference in Queensland.

The Settlement Council of Australia’s (SCOA) Reconciliation Commitment Statement builds upon the migrant settlement sector’s long-standing solidarity with First Nations peoples and their aspirations. 

Reconciliation Australia Co-Chair Kirstie Parker said she was heartened by the statement, believing it would enhance relationships between First Nations peoples and those who have migrated here.

”Those relationships are deeply valued by Reconciliation Australia, as they broaden the reach of reconciliation, foster inclusive engagement, and strengthen cross-cultural collaboration,” Ms Parker told the gathering of more than 400 community leaders, policy makers, academics, service providers, and advocates.

Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses this festive season

Find the perfect Christmas gift with Supply Nation’s 2025 Festive Season Catalogue.

The 2025 catalogue features a selection of Certified Indigenous businesses offering diverse products and services. From art to chocolates, teas, apparel, hampers, and so much more – there is something for everyone.

The catalogue is just a snapshot of the over 6,000 suppliers listed on Supply Nation’s Indigenous Business Direct platform!

Supply Nation connects verified Indigenous businesses on Indigenous Business Direct with corporate, government and not-for-profit members in every state and territory.

It is Australia's leading database of verified Indigenous businesses and can be searched by business name, product, service, area, or category. 

View the festive catalogue or download the PDF version here.