Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Authorising Pharmacists) Bill 2023

The concept of community pharmacists having the powers to prescribe is not new, but Australia has only recently begun investigating expanding their role in the diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses. In 2020, Queensland was the first state to undertake a trial of a pharmacist prescribing scheme. A trial began in New South Wales in May 2023 and a Victorian trial is expected to commence in October 2023. 
 
This Bill Brief outlines selected aspects of proposed changes to the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 in relation to the medicines pharmacists may be able to prescribe without a prescription and how this will impact the health system. It provides a jurisdictional comparison on what other Australian states have done in this space and outlines some of the arguments for and against increasing the role of pharmacists in diagnosis and treatment.