Is the answer the same for every industry?

No. For 32 of the 35 industries Rules Mate maps, the answer is no. Aged care providers is one of 3 industries with a different answer.

Do aged care providers need to maintain controlled drugs register (Schedule 8 / 9)?

A computed answer from the Rules Mate applicability engine, with the exact condition, the outcome for every structure and size, and the primary source.

Short answer: Only if

Only if you hold Schedule 8 medicines. Being in this industry makes the obligation worth checking (Aged care provider), but the trigger is a fact the industry alone does not settle.

The obligation in brief

Maintain controlled drugs register (Schedule 8 / 9). g. morphine, methadone, oxycodone) and Schedule 9 (prohibited substances) medicines.

Trigger: Acquiring or supplying S8/S9 medicines.

Why aged care providers get a different answer

Rules Mate runs its applicability engine across 9 business structures and 6 size bands for each of the 35 industries it maps. For 32 of those industries the answer for "Maintain controlled drugs register (Schedule 8 / 9)" is no. Aged care providers is one of the 3 where the answer is different: only if.

The deciding fact for aged care providers: Aged care provider; applies only if you hold Schedule 8 medicines.

About the industry: Residential and home-care providers under the new Aged Care Act 2024 (in force 1 November 2025).

Compare a professional services (general) business with 6–19 employees structured as a Pty Ltd company: the obligation does not apply (Requires a pharmacy).

Answer by business structure and size

Each cell is the engine's outcome for a business in aged care providers with that structure and size, assuming it sells to consumers and small businesses and holds customer contact details. "Check" means the obligation turns on a fact the industry does not settle.

"Maintain controlled drugs register (Schedule 8 / 9)": outcome for aged care providers by structure and size
Structure	No employees	1–5 employees	6–19 employees	20–99 employees	100–499 employees	500+ employees
Sole trader	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Partnership	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Trust	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Pty Ltd company	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Public company	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Not-for-profit (unregistered)	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Registered charity	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Super fund	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check
Foreign company	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check	Check

What the obligation requires

When due: Per-event recording; annual reconciliation.
Evidence to keep: Controlled drugs register; stocktake reports; police notification of theft/loss.
Maximum penalty: State Poisons Act penalties + AHPRA notification + criminal liability for diversion
Regulator: AHPRA and TGA
Jurisdiction: Commonwealth (national)

Other obligations where aged care providers differ from the norm

Questions

Do aged care providers need to maintain controlled drugs register (Schedule 8 / 9)?: Only if you hold Schedule 8 medicines. Being in this industry makes the obligation worth checking (Aged care provider), but the trigger is a fact the industry alone does not settle.
Is the answer the same for every industry?: No. For 32 of the 35 industries Rules Mate maps, the answer is no. Aged care providers is one of 3 industries with a different answer.

Sources

Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine from the published obligation corpus; facts last checked 3 October 2026. Rules Mate is not a law firm and this is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with the regulator source or a qualified adviser before acting.