Australian Health Ministers’ Conference* Implementation Plan for Productivity Commission Recommendations – Chemicals and
Plastics Regulatory Reform
PC Report Recommendations
Recommendation 5.1 – The Australian Health Ministers’ Conference should:

Proceed as soon as feasible with implementing its proposed reforms to separate poisons and medicines scheduling processes, including
that poisons scheduling decisions be made by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing, upon advice from a Chemicals
Scheduling Committee

Undertake a review of the Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Council model for poisons two years after commencement, including:

an analysis of the consistency between the recommendations of the Chemicals Scheduling Committee and the decisions of the
Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing;

an analysis of the impact of the model on national uniformity of poisons regulations.
The stages of implementation for this reform are set out in Table 1 below.
Table 1 Stages of Implementation for recommendation 5.1
Stages of Implementation
Responsibility
Start Date
Completion Date
Separation of poisons and medicines scheduling processes
implemented.
National Coordinating
Committee on Therapeutic
Goods (NCCTG)
Review framework developed
NCCTG
January 2012
July 2012
Review conducted and finalised by March 2013
NCCTG**
July 2012
March 2013
1 July 2010
* Note that the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference (AHMC) is now called the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Standing Council
on Health (SCoH).
** Note that the Department of Health and Ageing will facilitate a review as per section 52EC of the Therapeutic Goods Administration Act 1989.
This legislation requires that the review be completed by the end of 2013.
Recommendation 5.2
State and Territory Governments should:

adopt poisons scheduling decisions made by the Department of Health and Ageing directly by reference, as published in the Sta ndard
for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP)

uniformly adopt regulatory controls for poisons through either a template or model approach, as published in the SUSMP

continue to report any variations to nationally-agreed poisons scheduling or regulatory decisions at the state and territory level to the
Australian Health Ministers’ Conference, and include a statement of reasons for the variations
The stages of implementation for this reform are set out in Table 2 below.
Table 2 Stages of Implementation for recommendation 5.2
Stages of Implementation
Responsibility
Start Date
Completion Date
All decisions relating to poisons scheduling adopted by reference.
States and Territories
Ongoing
Ongoing
Approval of project proposal to develop uniform controls over poisons.
AHMC
Development of Consultation RIS for uniform controls.
NCCTG
August 2011
March 2012
Consultation with stakeholders.
NCCTG
March 2012
April 2012
Approval of Decision RIS
AHMC
May 2012
June 2012
Implementation of agreed option for documentation and updating of
uniform controls through SUSMP or equivalent mechanism.
DOHA
June 2012
At next meeting (not
scheduled)
May 2011
Standard provision for adoption by reference by jurisdictions.
Agreed option for documentation and updating of uniform controls
either through SUSMP or equivalent mechanism.
Stages of Implementation
Responsibility
Start Date
Completion Date
Implementation of standard provision to adopt uniform controls by
reference.
States and Territories
June 2012
December 2012
Enabling legislation commences in jurisdictions.
12 months after
commencement
Development of reporting framework for variations to agreed controls.
NCCTG
June 2012
December 2012
Recommendation 5.3
Where a poison is adequately covered under workplace substances regulations and there is demonstrated compliance with those r egulations,
state and territory governments should exempt workplace users from poisons controls.
The stages of implementation for this reform are set out in Table 3 below.
Table 3 Stages of Implementation for recommendation 5.3
Stages of Implementation
Responsibility
Labeling - poisons currently utilised solely for industrial use exempt
from labeling requirements of SUSMP.
Other provisions: see 5.2.
NCCTG
Start Date
Completion Date
Ongoing
Ongoing