We will have limited operations from 15:00 Wednesday 24 December 2025 (AEDT) until Friday 2 January 2026. Find out how to contact us during the holiday period.
Role of the ACCS
The ACCS was established to advise and make recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health (or delegate) on the level of access required for chemicals and in some instances medicines
Under revised scheduling arrangements, which took effect on 1 July 2010, the Secretary to the Department of Health (Health) (or the Secretary's delegate) superseded the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) as the decision maker for the scheduling of medicines and chemicals
Scheduling is a classification system that controls how medicines and chemicals are made accessible to consumers based on the substances contained within them. Substances are grouped into Schedules according to the appropriate level of regulatory control over their availability (e.g. Schedule 4 - medicines available only by prescription; Schedule 2 - medicines available over the counter in pharmacies).
Committee membership
The current membership of the committee can be found on our ACCS members page.
Meeting dates and decisions timeframes
Stakeholders should note that the timetable outlines the anticipated administrative timeframes associated with matters for the advisory committee. This timetable also reflects public consultation timeframes as required by legislation.
Joint meetings
The Secretary of the Department of Health (or delegate) may refer an application or proposal to amend the Poisons Standard to the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling (ACMS), the ACCS or to a joint sitting both of committees.
Where matters of interest to both committees are identified, including any proposals that relate to substances that may have a human therapeutic use (including as an excipient) as well as a non-human therapeutic use, the proposals may be referred to a joint meeting of the ACMS and ACCS.
Details outlining the procedures for joint meetings are in Division 3C of Part 6 of the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990. A recommendation arising from a joint meeting is a recommendation to the Secretary from each advisory committee.
For details go to Joint ACMS-ACCS meetings.
Delegate-only decisions
From time to time the delegate may make a scheduling decision without referring the change to the committee for advice.
The delegate-only scheduling decisions are available at Scheduling decisions (final).
Contact details for the ACCS
| ACCS enquiries | Committee support enquiries | |
|---|---|---|
| chemicals.scheduling@health.gov.au | Committees@health.gov.au | |
| Phone | 02 6289 4615 | |
| Postal Address | Advisory Committee on Chemicals Scheduling Therapeutic Goods Administration PO Box 100 WODEN ACT 2606 Attn: Scheduling and Chemicals Policy Section, MDP 122 | Committee Support Unit Therapeutic Goods Administration PO Box 100 WODEN ACT 2606 Attn:Regulatory Engagement Branch, MDP 122 |