Victorian Pharmacy Authority

Special Circular - June 2025

In this Circular

• Chair's Message
• 2025 Licence and registration renewals
• Late lodgement of renewal applications
• Authority fees
• For information
  
  • Message from Western Victoria Primary Healthcare
    Pharmacists survey on ePrescribing

   

• Resources

Chair's message

The Authority must ensure that its fees are sufficient to fund its activities. In fixing fees, the Authority is always mindful of business costs and regulatory burden on pharmacy businesses and pharmacy departments.

This year’s fee increase is higher than in recent years, however the Authority believes that VPA fees remain reasonable and commensurate with fees in other jurisdictions. Fees in 2025-26 will help deliver new digital systems and regulatory improvements which will ultimately reduce the regulatory burden on licensees and help make the VPA a more efficient, best practice regulator.

David McConville
Chair, Victorian Pharmacy Authority

2025 Licence and registration renewals

Licences and premises registrations issued by the VPA must be renewed annually.

Renewal notices have now been sent by email for:

• Pharmacy, pharmacy department and pharmacy depot premises registration, and
• Licences to carry on a pharmacy business or pharmacy department.

Renewal notices are emailed to registered premises only. They are not sent to individual owners.

Pharmacy owners and pharmacists in charge need to ensure appropriate distribution of renewal notices to ensure payment. Please ensure that you have notified the VPA of the current email address for any registered premises and confirm that you have received all your renewal notices.

Each pharmacy registration renewal requires a licensee or director to answer questions and make declarations about the pharmacy premises, ownership and commercial
arrangements before payments can be made.

Proprietors should contact the VPA if you have not received the renewal notices.

Certificates will be available to download from the VPA website after the renewal process is completed.

Late lodgement of renewal applications

Applications to renew an existing licence and premises registration must be received with payment by 30 June 2025 to avoid a late fee. Late renewal applications may then be submitted with payment of the late lodgement fee from 1 July 2025 until 28 July 2025 ("late period").

If a licence or registration renewal remains outstanding after the late period, the Authority may decide not to renew the licence or registration. It will then be unlawful to continue to carry on the pharmacy business or operate in those premises. New applications will be required.

Authority fees

The Victorian Pharmacy Authority is a self-funded statutory authority.

The Pharmacy Regulation Act 2010 requires the Authority to fix fees for a period of 12 months and to ensure that the money collected in fees is sufficient to cover the cost of administering the Act. The Authority fixed the fees for the 12-month period commencing 1 May 2025 at its meeting on 8 April 2025.

The fees were published in the Victorian Government Gazette dated 24 April 2025 and on the Authority’s website here. Fees were increased by 15% for the 12-month period from 1 May 2025.

The increase in fees was necessary primarily to fund the implementation of a new digital system to manage licensing, registration and compliance processes. Benefits to be delivered by the new system will include:

• Alignment with best practice regulatory
  processes
• Streamlining application processes
• Reducing regulatory burden on licensees and pharmacy businesses/departments
• Improving stakeholder interface with the VPA
• Efficiency gains and better allocation of resources to support compliance
• Improved record management and data
  security

The VPA will engage with stakeholders regarding proposed changes to applications and related processes. Further information on improvements to the VPA’s digital systems will be provided in future communications.

For Information
Message from Western Victoria Primary Healthcare

Pharmacists survey on ePrescribing

Have your say on Electronic Prescribing and/or the Active Script List!

Western Victoria Primary Health Network are currently working with the Australian Digital Health Agency to learn about the barriers, enablers and any other feedback on ePrescribing and the Active Script List. If you work in a Pharmacy or a General Practice, make sure you have your say and encourage your colleagues to do the same! Complete our
survey here.

Survey closes 30 June 2025.

Resources

Supporting key learnings from recent inspections and areas of high risk, licensees and pharmacists may wish to refer to the following resources. Resources are not limited to the list below and pharmacists are encouraged to review other relevant resources as required.

VPA resources

• VPA Standards here
• VPA Guidelines here
• VPA Self Audit form here
• VPA Managing Schedule 8 poisons – a reference guide for pharmacists here
• VPA Commercial arrangement guidance here

S8 management

• Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2017 here
• Medicines and Poisons Regulation guidance document Management of Schedule 8 poisons here
• Medicines and Poisons Regulation guidance document Refrigerated storage for Schedule 8 medicines (in Victoria) here
• Pharmacotherapy policy in Victoria here
• Pharmacotherapy self-assessment – for pharmacists providing ORT here
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia opioid replacement therapy training program and long-acting injectable buprenorphine training here

Vaccination

• Victorian Pharmacist-Administered Vaccination Program Guidelines and Secretary Approval: Pharmacist Immuniser here
• Victorian COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines here
• National Vaccine Storage Guidelines ‘Strive for 5’ here

Other resources

• Pharmacy Board of Australia Guidelines on compounding medicines here
• Joint statement on compounded medicines – Pharmacy Board of Australia and Medical Board of Australia here
• Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) GMP information for manufacturers of compounded medicines and DAAs here
• TGA Medicinal cannabis hub here
• TGA Medicinal cannabis - guidance documents here
• TGA Advertising guidance for businesses involved with medicinal cannabis products here
• Medicines and Poisons Regulation guidance document Dispensing medicines here
• Pharmacy Board of Australia Guidelines for
  dispensing of medicines here
  Pharmacy Board of Australia Guidelines for proprietor pharmacists here
• Pharmacy Board of Australia's Guidelines on practice-specific issues here
• Pharmacy Board of Australia Guidelines on practice-specific issues - Guideline 1 (List of reference texts for pharmacists) here
• Pharmacy Board of Australia Guidelines on dose administration aids and staged supply of dispensed medicines here
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Guidelines for Pharmacists Providing Dose Administration Aid Services here
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Professional Practice
  Standards 2023 here
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Clinical Governance Principles for Pharmacy Services here

Members of the Victorian Pharmacy Authority

Mr David McConville, Chair (Pharmacist member)
Ms Regina Cowie (Pharmacist member)
Ms Jane Hill (Community member)
Ms Elizabeth Kennedy (Lawyer member)
Mr Brendon Moar (Pharmacist member)
Mr Divesh Sanghvi (Pharmacist member)

VPA Staff

Registrar: Mr Aaron Bawden
Chief Finance Officer: Ms Koshala Nadanakumar
Senior Pharmacist: Ms Jessica Webster
Administration Officer: Ms Helen Newett
Pharmacist: Dr Jill Snell (Governance and Risk Officer)
Pharmacist: Ms Maggie Bassily (Project and Engagement Officer)
Pharmacist: Ms Tran To (Project and Engagement Officer) [currently on leave]
Pharmacist: Ms Karen La (Authorised Officer)
Pharmacist: Mr Scott Savage (Authorised Officer)
Pharmacist: Ms Denise van den Bosch (Authorised Officer)
Pharmacist: Ms Annie Luu (Authorised Officer)

The VPA Circular is a document issued by the Victoria Pharmacy Authority (VPA) in Australia. It provides important information and updates to pharmacists and pharmacy stakeholders. You can review this circular and previous circulars on the VPA website here.