Step by step

Find an experienced GP. See our Find a doctor list (mainly south-east Queensland and northern NSW), or ask Emerge Australia.
Contact Emerge Australia. They're the national ME/CFS organisation. Their registered nurses offer free support and telehealth, and they can help you find an ME/CFS-experienced GP or specialist.
See your GP for the tests that rule out other conditions and the extra ME/CFS-relevant tests. Take our GP script.
Ask about a Chronic Condition Management Plan to get Medicare-subsidised allied health sessions, most usefully an occupational therapist experienced in pacing. From 1 November 2026, your GP can prepare or review the plan by phone, which helps if you're too unwell to get to the clinic.¹
Get referrals where needed: a sleep study, and cardiology or an autonomic clinic for dizziness on standing.
Consider research participation. Studies can include free immune testing or MRI. See trials in Australia.

Key organisations and services

Service	What it offers
Emerge Australia	The national ME/CFS and Long COVID organisation. Free nurse support and telehealth service, a list of ME/CFS-literate GPs and specialists, resources, advocacy, and the AusME research registry.
Your GP	Tests, prescriptions (e.g. LDN), referrals, Chronic Condition Management Plan
Chronic Condition Management Plan	Medicare arrangement via your GP that subsidises a set number of allied health visits each year
Centrelink and the NDIS	Income support and disability funding. See Centrelink & the DSP and ME/CFS and the NDIS.
Sleep studies	Medicare-rebated if you meet screening criteria; otherwise about $300–400 privately
NCNED, Griffith University (Gold Coast)	Australia’s main ME/CFS research centre; trials, research studies and biobank. Join their research registry to hear about studies.
Deakin IMPACT / Barwon Health (Geelong)	TRI-ME trimetazidine trial
ME/CFS Australia, ME Group Australia and state groups	Support groups, information and advocacy
Active Health Clinic (Melbourne)	Pacing-focused allied health (exercise physiology, dietetics, OT); telehealth available

Emerge Australia contact details

Phone: 1800 865 321 or (03) 9529 1344
- Press 1: nurse support & telehealth (Mon–Fri, 9am–4:30pm AEDT, free). Telehealth calls can be booked with a free interpreter (TIS).³
- Press 3: research, biobank and clinical education (Tue–Thu, 8am–3:30pm AEDT)
Email: information@emerge.org.au
Web: emerge.org.au
Address: Level 7, 276 Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Financial and practical support

NDIS: some people with severe, long-term ME/CFS are eligible. Evidence of functional impact over time is key, so symptom diaries help. See ME/CFS and the NDIS.
Centrelink: the Disability Support Pension and JobSeeker (with medical exemptions) may apply. See Centrelink & the DSP.
Disability parking permits and companion cards can save a lot of energy. Apply through your state or territory.
Private health extras may cover part of the cost of compression garments, physio or OT.
Carer Gateway: 1800 422 737 for free support for carers.

A caution about some programmes

New Australian guidelines

The Federal Government has funded ($1.1 million) the NHMRC to develop Australia’s first clinical guideline for ME/CFS. The evidence review runs to 2027, with a draft for public consultation expected in late 2027 and release around the end of 2027 or 2028.^6,7 In July 2026 the guideline committee agreed on 20 questions the guideline will answer, covering diagnosis, management and care pathways, and discussed how it will cover young people.⁸ Until then, many Australian clinicians follow the UK’s NICE guideline (2021) and the US CDC guidance, both of which move away from graded exercise.^9,10

In a crisis

Lifeline: 13 11 14, 24 hours
13YARN: 13 92 76, 24 hours, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
Emergency: 000

Living with a serious illness that others don’t always believe can be isolating and exhausting. Reaching out is a strong thing to do.

References

MBS changes from 1 November 2026: phone items for GP chronic condition management plans Guideline
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (MBS Online), 2026. Items 92033, 92034, 92063, 92064: GP chronic condition management plans prepared or reviewed by phone
The Australian: 600,000 patients risk losing care over $220k grant News
Emerge Australia, 2026. Federal funding for Emerge's patient services reported to end 30 November 2026
Telehealth service Report
Emerge Australia, 2026. Telehealth calls can now be booked with a free TIS interpreter
Chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical practice guidelines 2002 Guideline
Royal Australasian College of Physicians working group, Medical Journal of Australia, 2002. Says graded exercise 'may be effective'; not updated since 2002
UNSW Fatigue Clinic program Guideline
UNSW Sydney, 2026
Backing belief with better support for people with chronic fatigue News
Minister for Health and Aged Care, 2024. $1.1 million to the NHMRC to develop clinical guidelines
ME/CFS clinical practice guideline development Guideline
National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), 2026. Indicative timeline: draft guideline in 2027, release by late 2027 or 2028
ME/CFS Guideline Development Committee: summary of meeting, July 2026 Guideline
National Health and Medical Research Council, 2026. Committee endorsed 20 guideline questions covering care principles, diagnosis, management and care pathways
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management (NG206) Guideline
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK), 2021
ME/CFS: about Guideline
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024

Getting care in Australia