To mark National Pain Week 2025, Chronic Pain Australia (CPA) launched its landmark White Paper, “Pain Takes a Nation: An Urgent Call for National Action on Chronic Pain,” at Australian Parliament House. Hosted by the bipartisan Parliamentary Friends of Pain group on Thursday 24 July, the launch underscores the urgent need for chronic pain to be recognised as a National Health Priority Area and treated as a condition in its own right, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Despite affecting 3.6 million Australians and costing the economy $139 billion annually — projected to rise to $215.6 billion by 2050 — chronic pain remains invisible in Australia’s health system. It is still coded and classified as a symptom, not a standalone condition.
This means:
- It is excluded from the Australian Burden of Disease report
- It is invisible in national health datasets and planning frameworks
- It is absent from Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) reform
- And astonishingly, the only system in Australia that recognises chronic pain as a condition in its own right is early access to superannuation.
The White Paper was developed through extensive consultation with over 30,000 Australians living with pain, pain experts, clinicians and advocates. It outlines the human toll of pain, the strain on the health system, and the structural gaps in how chronic pain is addressed — or rather, not addressed — across the country.
Key recommendations include:
- Recognise chronic pain as a National Health Priority Area Include it in population health planning, national health data, and burden of disease tracking.
- Update national coding standards Ensure chronic pain is classified as a condition in its own right — not merely a symptom — in electronic health records, MBS, PBS, and national datasets.
- Fund chronic pain services via Primary Health Networks (PHNs) Deliver community-based early intervention to reduce avoidable hospitalisation.
- Fund Chronic Pain Australia as the national, consumer-led peak body Partner with lived experience to co-design effective policy, education, and service models. 5. Establish a statutory National Pain Commission Provide national leadership and coordination of pain strategy, research and services.
- Commission a National Inquiry into chronic pain Drive whole-of-government action, informed by research and lived experience
These recommendations are aligned with the World Health Organization’s global guidance on how governments should address chronic pain in modern health systems.
Chronic Pain Australia Chairperson, Nicolette Ellis, said systemic change is long overdue. “Chronic pain is not just a symptom — it’s a condition that profoundly disrupts lives, families and the economy. But right now, it’s invisible in almost every part of our health system,” Ms Ellis said.
“This White Paper is our community’s call for recognition, inclusion and action. We need government to stop funding pain as a consequence and start funding it as a condition deserving early intervention and dedicated care.”
The White Paper launch coincides with the release of the National Pain Report 2025, a landmark survey of nearly 5,000 people living with chronic pain. It reveals alarming rates of stigma, delayed diagnosis, financial distress, and workforce dropout — with over 70% experiencing secondary mental health impacts and 65% leaving the workforce prematurely.