Migraine: Australia’s $35 billion opportunity we’re ignoring

Next week, the Government’s Economic Reform Round Table is being held. And while there’s a bit of push and shove about what it is about (productivity? tax reform? posturing and theatre?) I’ve made a submission to try and make sure migraine is on the agenda, and recognised as the number 1 drain on the Australian economy.

For too long, this genetic, incurable disease has been dismissed as “just a headache”, repeatedly denied its fair share of care and support, while quietly becoming one of the most expensive and disabling conditions affecting working-age Australians.

At a minimum, migraine is costing us a staggering $35.7 billion every single year.

Yes, billion. With a “B”.

Or that’s what it was costing us in 2018, When Deloitte Access Economics did their white paper on migraine. Migraine is so universally ignored and dismissed that there is no more recent data than that. And nothing before that either.

And here’s the kicker: we now have the science and treatments to change that story completely. What’s missing? The political will to act.

Migraine is not “just a headache”

Migraine is a complex neurological disorder, hardwired into your genetics, that makes your brain hyper-sensitive to internal and external triggers. It’s unpredictable, debilitating, and for 1 in 5 Australians — about 5 million people — it’s a recurring nightmare from which there is no escape.

Women bear the brunt: 71% of people with active migraine attacks are women, most in their peak career years. And for around half a million Australians living with chronic migraine (15 or more migraine days a month), work, study, social life, and even basic self-care can become impossible.

The hidden productivity killer

Migraine is one of the biggest barriers to workforce participation, especially for women — yet it barely rates a mention in economic reform or gender equity strategies. The impacts are everywhere:

• Absenteeism: Weeks of work lost each year.
• Presenteeism: Struggling through work while symptoms crush productivity.
• Underemployment: Taking lower-paid or part-time roles to cope.
• Welfare dependency: Thousands relying on Jobseeker or DSP because working is impossible without proper treatment.

And still, migraine barely appears in government health or employment data. You can’t fix what you refuse to count.

A revolution in science… that we’re not using

The old theory that migraine was a vascular headache is gone. We now know it’s a neurological disease with six distinct phases — always present in the brain, even between attacks.

Even better, new targeted treatments like CGRP therapies can cut migraine attacks in half (or more) for most people within three months. For some – like me – they mean complete remission.

These medications aren’t just symptom managers — they give people their lives back.

Think of CGRP medications as like insulin for diabetics, or ventolin for asthmatics – they are essential, non-negotiable, life changing and life saving. And yet, completely inaccessible to most Australians with migraine.

Access is the roadblock

Despite the evidence, Australia’s access rules are outdated and cruel. To get a CGRP therapy on the PBS, you have to fail at least three older, often intolerable medications and be completely debilitated. Two safe and effective CGRP options aren’t even available here because of past government decisions.

Translation: people are suffering and losing years of productive life for no good reason.

My drug, the drug that allows me to function at all, is called Aimovig. It’s not on the PBS, and costs me $695 every four weeks.

The $35 billion fix

Here’s what could happen if we actually acted on the science:

• 500,000 people could return to work.
• 1 million more could work more productively with fewer missed days.
• Billions saved in welfare payments, health costs, and lost tax revenue.

This isn’t just a health policy — it’s a workforce participation plan, a gender equity boost, and a disability justice reform in one.

What needs to change

1. Universal PBS access to all CGRP therapies — no gatekeeping.
2. A national migraine strategy to coordinate prevention, care, and public education.
3. Dedicated research and data collection so migraine is visible in national statistics and is no longer ignored.
4. Recognition of migraine as a disability in policy and workplace protections.
5. Integration into gender equity reforms, because migraine is a key reason women leave the workforce.

We have the tools. We need the will.

For decades, people with migraine have been dismissed, denied care, and told to “try yoga.” That stops now. The migraine revolution is here and it can transform not just lives, but the nation’s economy.

It’s time to give migraine a break. And give Australia a $35 billion productivity boost.