The government is now operating in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions, pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election.
Scheduling
Scheduling is a national classification system that controls how medicines and chemicals are made available to the consumers in order to protect public health.
The Schedules are published in the Poisons Standard and are given legal effect through state and territory legislation.
The Poisons Standard (the SUSMP)
The Poisons Standard, or the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP), provides a uniform approach to control the availability and accessibility of substances that can be used as ingredients in medicines as well as cosmetics, agricultural products or household cleaners.
The Poisons Standard also includes provisions about containers and labels with a view to promoting uniform labelling and packaging requirements throughout Australia.