The government is now operating in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions, pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election.
The Scheduling Policy Framework (SPF) is a key feature of the revised arrangements for scheduling of medicines and chemicals. The SPF is a guidance document both for decision-makers within the Department of Health and Ageing and members of the ACCS and ACMS, as well as stakeholders interested in the scheduling processes. Under the Act, the delegate is required to abide by the requirements of the SPF.
The SPF sets out the scheduling process, guidance for amending the Poisons Standard, the classification system for medicines and chemicals, as well as guidelines for applications, public consultation and confidential information as these relate to scheduling applications.
The SPF has been developed by the National Coordinating Committee on Therapeutic Goods (NCCTG), a subcommittee of the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC), which oversees the development of a national approach to regulatory policy and administrative protocols related to the availability of accessibility of medicines and chemicals in Australia.
Consultations conducted in 2009 and 2010 assisted the NCCTG in developing and refining the SPF. Further information about these consultations, including consultation documents, submissions and analyses, can be viewed at: Regulatory reform.
The NCCTG's Scheduling Policy Framework for Medicines and Chemicals, came into effect at the commencement of the revised arrangements on 1 July 2010.