New or Relocating pharmacy
Pharmacy Location Rules
Australian Community Pharmacy Authority (ACPA)
ACPA Meeting Dates
Notification of ACPA meeting outcomes
ACPA recommends that an application be approved
ACPA recommends that an application not be approved
ACPA defers making a recommendation on an application
Surrounding pharmacists who provided comments on an application
How do I contact the ACPA?
Form – Privacy Note

New or Relocating pharmacy

Pharmacists must apply to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care under section 90 of the National Health Act 1953 (Act) to seek approval to:

• supply Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines at new pharmacy premises; or
• relocate an existing pharmacy that is approved to supply PBS medicines to other premises.

Applications are considered by the Australian Community Pharmacy Authority (ACPA) which makes a recommendation to the Secretary. Before applying please see the:

• Pharmacy Location Rules; and
• Pharmacy Location Rules - Applicant's Handbook.

To apply for approval to establish a new pharmacy, or to relocate an existing pharmacy, the pharmacist will need to:

• determine which Item of the Pharmacy Location Rules to apply under;
• access the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal to lodge an application (please note, Terms of Use must be agreed to access the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal); and
• provide relevant information to support the application. Guides for submitting an application to establish a new pharmacy, see Guides and Forms. To view the end-to-end process for a new or relocating pharmacy application, see the ACPA application process map.

If an application is recommended, prior to delegate approval, the applicant will need to provide evidence that the requirements of the relevant state or territory regulatory authority to operate a pharmacy business at the proposed premises, have been met.

Pharmacy Location Rules

The Rules relate to the establishment of a new pharmacy or the relocation of an existing pharmacy which has approval to provide PBS medicines under section 90 of the Act.

The Rules are legislated under the National Health (Australian Community Pharmacy Authority Rules) Determination 2018 made under section 99L of the Act.

The Rules set out location-based criteria which must be met in order for the ACPA to recommend approval of a pharmacist. The ACPA cannot override the requirements of the Rules and can only recommend that an application be approved if it is satisfied that all of the requirements of the item, under which the application was made, have been met.

The Rules remain consistent with the overall objective of the National Medicines Policy to improve the health outcomes of all Australians through access to and quality use of medicines.

Applicants wishing to lodge an application for consideration under the Rules, are required to lodge the application with the Department of Health and Aged Care, via the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal.

Australian Community Pharmacy Authority (ACPA)

The ACPA is an independent statutory authority established under section 99J of the Act.

The ACPA has six part-time members, five of whom are appointed by the Minister and one appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care (Secretary).

The ACPA considers applications for approval to supply pharmaceutical benefits under section 90 of the Act and makes recommendations to delegated officers as to whether or not an application should be approved.

In making its recommendation to the Secretary’s delegate, the ACPA must comply with the requirements specified in the Rules as determined by the Minister. The ACPA can only make a recommendation that an application be approved if it finds that all of the relevant requirements of the Rules are met.

Applications for approval to supply pharmaceutical benefits under section 90 of the Act
The Pharmacy Location Rules – Applicant’s Handbook provides pharmacists with comprehensive information about:

• the Rules and the ACPA;
• the application process including the requirements that must be satisfied and the types of information that must be included in an application; and
• seeking further information or assistance.

It is up to the applicant to select the item which best suits their situation as each item has different requirements. Applicants must satisfy all of the requirements for a particular item if they are to receive a recommendation for approval from the ACPA.

Applications and associated forms must be lodged via the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal. Further information is available from the Department of Health and Aged Care website at How to apply to become a PBS approved supplier – information for pharmacists. If you require further assistance, please call PBS Approved Suppliers on 1800 316 389.

ACPA Meeting dates

The ACPA meeting dates for the remainder of 2023 and for 2024, and the corresponding application lodgement timeframes for complete applications to be received by the Department of Health and Aged Care via the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal, are outlined in the table below.

Please note the longer timeframe between the December meeting and the first meeting in the following year, to account for the Department of Health and Aged Care’s closure over Christmas, and availability of staff and members of the ACPA in January.

These dates are subject to change and are current as at 1 September 2023.

ACPA Meeting date	Timeframe to lodge an Application	Timeframe to lodge an Application
Friday	From	To
29 September 2023	Friday 21 July 2023	Thursday 31 August 2023
3 November 2023	Friday 1 September 2023	Thursday 5 October 2023
6 December 2023	Friday 6 October 2023	Thursday 9 November 2023
2 February 2024	Friday 10 November 2023	Thursday 14 December 2023
8 March 2024	Friday 15 December 2023	Thursday 8 February 2024
19 April 2024	Friday 9 February 2024	Thursday 14 March 2024
31 May 2024	Friday 15 March 2024	Thursday 25 April 2024
12 July 2024	Friday 26 April 2024	Thursday 6 June 2024
23 August 2024	Friday 7 June 2024	Thursday 18 July 2024
27 September 2024	Friday 19 July 2024	Thursday 29 August 2024
1 November 2024	Friday 30 August 2024	Thursday 3 October 2024
6 December 2024	Friday 4 October 2024	Thursday 7 November 2024
7 February 2025	Friday 8 November 2024	Thursday 12 December 2024

Note: Application lodgement timeframes are to ensure that the Department of Health and Aged Care and the ACPA Secretariat have sufficient time to process and register applications (subject to the application being valid), undertake consultation with third parties where relevant and for the ACPA to give proper consideration of applications.

Notification of ACPA meeting outcomes

Meeting outcomes will be published on the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal within five working days after a meeting.

The Secretary’s delegate in the Department of Health and Aged Care will be provided with the decisions of the Authority where a recommendation to approve or not approve an application has been made.

ACPA recommends that an application be approved

If the recommendation by the Authority is to approve an application, the relevant delegate in the Department of Health and Aged Care is responsible for granting the approval. However, the delegate may also reject the application even if approval has been recommended by the ACPA.

Once a recommendation to approve an application has been published on the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal, the Department of Health and Aged Care will write to recommended applicants to advise of the decision and outline the requirements for obtaining approval.

ACPA recommends that an application not be approved

If the ACPA has made a decision to recommend that an application not be approved, it will endeavour to inform the applicant of the decision, including the reason(s) for the decision and the rights of review, within ten working days after the meeting.

ACPA defers making a recommendation on an application

If the ACPA defers consideration of the application to the next meeting, the Secretariat will endeavour to advise the applicant of the reasons for the deferral within five working days after the meeting and the status ‘Deferred’ will be displayed on the PBS Approved Suppliers Portal.

Surrounding pharmacists who provided comments on an application

The ACPA will endeavour to advise the outcome of an application to any pharmacist/s who provided comments to the ACPA, as soon as practicable, but generally no sooner than ten working days after a meeting. Please note that the ACPA does not advise surrounding pharmacists of the meeting outcome if the ACPA has deferred making a recommendation.

How do I contact the ACPA?

For any queries, please email details of your enquiry to acpamail@health.gov.au or call the PBS Approved Suppliers Information Line on 1800 316 389. Please note that the PBS Approved Suppliers Information Line provides general advice only, and if your query is in relation to a particular application or an email from the ACPA, please provide your enquiry by email.

Form - Privacy Note

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

The Department is collecting personal information that you provide in the relevant Form for the purposes of assessing the application or processing the notification (as the case may be). The collection of the personal information is authorised under the National Health Act 1953 (Cth) and delegated legislation under that Act.

For further information, please visit Privacy and your personal information.