Prescribing rules for doctors
Each State and Territory has laws regulating the prescription of medicines that determine: who can prescribe, which medicines, in what circumstances, in what manner, for what purpose, as well as additional conditions that must be met to prescribe certain classes of medicines such as certain S4 medicines or S8 medicines.
As laws vary in each jurisdiction, doctors must be careful they understand and comply with the laws in force where they practice. To check the requirements, contact the drugs and poisons unit in your State/Territory. The TGA maintains up-to-date contact details on its website: http://www.tga.gov.au/industry/scheduling-st-contacts.htm
In addition, doctors must comply with requirements and restrictions under Commonwealth law in order to prescribe under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Check the PBS rules at http://www.pbs.gov.au or phone the appropriate area on numbers listed at http://www.pbs.gov.au/info/contacts/healthpro.
The table below lists the Acts and Regulations applying to prescribing in each jurisdiction.
| Commonwealth | National Health Act 1953; National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations 1960 |
| NSW | Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 |
| VIC | Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006 |
| QLD | Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996 |
| WA | Poisons Act 1964; Poisons Regulations 1965 |
| SA | "Controlled substances Act 1984"; Controlled substances (Poisons) Regulations 2011 |
| TAS | Poisons Act 1971; Poisons Regulations 2008 |
| ACT | Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2008; Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulations 2008 |
| NT | Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2012 |
All doctors are also bound by the Medical Board of Australia’s code of practice – Good Medical Practice – as a condition of their registration to practice in Australia.
