Pharmacists Push for Expanded Prescribing Powers
04 Nov 2025
The proposal — put forward by the Joint Pharmacy Organisations (JPO), which includes the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, and Advanced Pharmacy Australia — outlines a model where ‘endorsed pharmacist prescribers’ could independently prescribe medicines within their authorised scope of practice, after completing accredited training.
The pharmacy bodies argue that expanding pharmacists’ roles would improve access to timely healthcare, reduce GP wait times and hospital pressures, and provide better continuity of care, especially in rural and regional areas. They also want patients to be able to access Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) subsidies for medicines prescribed by pharmacists.
However, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has warned of potential patient safety risks and conflicts of interest. RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said the plan could create confusion and fragmentation in care, particularly with high-risk Schedule 8 (S8) medicines.
‘We need to be putting patient safety first – not profits over patients,’ Dr Wright said. ‘There are real dangers in allowing pharmacists to both prescribe and sell the same medicines.’
Despite the criticism, pharmacy leaders maintain that pharmacists are ready to take on greater responsibility to strengthen Australia’s healthcare system.
Source: newsGP / Pharmacy Guild of Australia / Pharmacy Board of Australia
