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The Poisons Standard consists of decisions regarding the classification of medicines and poisons into Schedules for inclusion in the relevant legislation of the States and Territories. The Poisons Standard also includes model provisions about containers and labels, a list of products recommended to be exempt from these provisions, and recommendations about other controls on drugs and poisons.
The Poisons Standard has been presented with a view to promoting uniform scheduling of substances and uniform labelling and packaging requirements throughout Australia.
The Poisons Standard is a Legislative Instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2003. The Poisons Standard may also be cited as the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP).
Electronic version of the Poisons Standard
The Poisons Standard is available in electronic form, free of charge, on the Federal Register of Legislation (FRL) website. The FRL is a repository and authoritative source of Commonwealth Acts, legislative and notifiable instruments, explanatory statements for legislative instruments, and other relevant documents and information.
Note that for consistency with other similar legislative instruments on the FRL, the legal title of the current Poisons Standard is the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard - October 2025) Instrument 2025. Rather than referring to the edition number, the publication is named according to the month and year of publication.
Recent changes
The Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2025) Instrument 2025 is the current edition. This supersedes the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—June 2025) Instrument 2025.
The Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2025) Instrument 2025 incorporates numerous changes to the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—June 2025) Instrument 2025. These changes are detailed in the Explanatory Statement supporting the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2025) Instrument 2025.
Scheduling decisions to be implemented in future Poisons Standards
| Date of implementation | Final decision | Public notice published | Advisory Committee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2026 | |||
| Glyoxylic acid | Notice of final decision to amend (or not amend) the current Poisons Standard – ACMS #45, ACCS #39, Joint ACMS-ACCS #37 | 16 December 2024 | ACCS #39 (June 2024) |
| 1 October 2026 | |||
| Lead (in anti-fouling paints) | Notice of final decision to amend (or not amend) the current Poisons Standard in relation to lead | 18 September 2023 | Joint ACMS-ACCS #34 (June 2023) |
| Camellia sinensis extract (green tea extract) | Final decision to amend the current Poisons Standard - Camellia sinensis extract (green tea extract) Joint ACMS ACCS #32 | Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) | 19 February 2025 | Joint ACMS-ACCS #32 (November 2022) |
| 1 October 2029 | |||
| Lead (in anti-fouling paints) | Notice of final decision to amend (or not amend) the current Poisons Standard in relation to lead | 18 September 2023 | Joint ACMS-ACCS #34 (June 2023) |