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Reform tracker · Australia · National; Queensland; Victoria; NSW

Pharmacist prescribing: UTIs and state pharmacy schemes

Pharmacists can now treat urinary tract infections in every state, and Queensland and Victoria have made wider prescribing schemes permanent. NSW and Queensland made schemes permanent before their evaluations were published, and Victoria announced its decision days before publishing its evaluation summary.

Status note: UTI prescribing is in force in every state and territory. Queensland's separate chronic-conditions pilot was first due to end in June 2026 and was still operating in mid-2026.

The stated rationale

Faster access to treatment for common conditions, especially where GP waiting times are long. Queensland's Health Minister said pharmacies had delivered more than 1,700 services across both pilots "with no safety concerns".

What changed

  • UTI prescribing: pharmacists can diagnose and treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections in every state and territory (by October 2024). NSW made its scheme permanent on 1 June 2024, before its evaluation was released.
  • Queensland: treatment of acute conditions, hormonal contraception and other services became business-as-usual from 1 July 2025 (announced March 2025). Chronic conditions were moved to a separate pilot.
  • Victoria: the Community Pharmacist Program, with state-funded consultations, became permanent from 1 July 2025. The government committed to expand it from five to 22 conditions and services (now 23). The expansion began in December 2025, and reflux (GORD) treatment and resupply of menopausal hormone therapy were added in October 2026.

The evidence question

The strongest criticism here does not depend on proving harm. It is that NSW and Queensland made schemes permanent before any independent evaluation was published, and Victoria announced its decision before publishing its evaluation summary. That is documented, and a fair point to put to governments. Claims that pharmacist prescribing will inevitably harm patients are assertions, and we label them as such.

A second issue is commercial: the same business can now both prescribe and sell the medicine. The RACGP has raised this; it is a structural concern rather than evidence of harm.

Who supports it

  • Pharmacy Guild of Australia
  • Pharmaceutical Society of Australia ("a win for patients")
  • Queensland and Victorian governments

Who has raised concerns

  • AMA Queensland: "disappointing and dangerous", made permanent without adequate evaluation
  • AMA Queensland (2022): the Queensland UTI pilot evaluation showed "a lack of scientific rigour"
  • RACGP: antimicrobial stewardship, fragmented care; RACGP Victoria called the Victorian scheme "a step backwards"
  • NACCHO opposed the original Queensland pilot

Sources

  1. NSW Health: UTI pharmacy prescribing made permanent (May 2024)
  2. Queensland Health: Community pharmacy pilots
  3. Queensland Government ministerial statement (21 March 2025)
  4. Victorian Department of Health: Community Pharmacist Program
  5. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia: Expanded pharmacist scope becomes permanent in Queensland
  6. AMA Queensland: Pharmacy prescribing made permanent without adequate evidence (March 2025, archived)
  7. Medical Republic: QUT declares its UTI pilot a success (2022)
  8. newsGP: RACGP backs NACCHO's pharmacy concerns
  9. newsGP: UTI pharmacy prescribing goes nationwide
  10. newsGP: 'A step backwards': another pharmacy pilot made permanent

Further reading