Do health practitioners 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 (Industry: Health practitioners), 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 health practitioners 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. Health practitioners is one of the 3 where the answer is different: only if.
The deciding fact for health practitioners: Industry: Health practitioners; applies only if you hold Schedule 8 medicines.
About the industry: Registered health practitioners under the National Law.
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 health practitioners 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.
| 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 health practitioners differ from the norm
- Maintain PBS approval + claim accurately for PBS-listed medicines: Only if
- Comply with Medical Board CPD requirements (50 hours minimum): Yes
- Cosmetic surgery advertising standards (Medical Board reforms 2024-2025): Only if
- Cosmetic surgery practitioner endorsement (from 2025): Only if
- Maintain AHPRA registration and CPD: Yes
- Make mandatory notifications to AHPRA: Yes
- All 12 answers for health practitioners
Other industries with a non-default answer
Questions
- Do health practitioners 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 (Industry: Health practitioners), 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. Health practitioners is one of 3 industries with a different answer.
Related
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.