The Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee has recommended the passage of the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025, paving the way for designated registered nurses to prescribe medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from July 2026.
The Australian College of Nursing welcomes the Committee’s unanimous recommendation to pass the bill, after a comprehensive inquiry that received 47 submissions from nursing organisations, medical associations, state governments, consumer groups, and individuals.
The Committee found strong support for the reform across the health sector.
“This is the most significant recognition of nursing’s role in Australia’s health system in a generation,” said ACN Chief Executive Officer, Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz FACN. “Designated registered nurse prescribing will strengthen the health system by easing workforce pressures and building the long-term capacity and sustainability our communities urgently need. We congratulate the Committee on its decisive recommendation.”
If passed by the Senate, this Bill would enable endorsed nurse prescribers to access PBS subsidies – meaning patients can access rebates for nurse-prescribed medicines.
Registered nurses are the largest health professional group in Australia, the most trusted and the most geographically distributed.
“This bill is a win for health equity,” said Adjunct Professor Zeitz. “Nurses operate across most healthcare settings, and this means their patients will be able to access prescriptions in a timely and equitable way.”
The reform is expected to deliver significant benefits for people in rural, regional and remote communities, First Nations populations, palliative care patients, and those seeking sexual and reproductive health services – groups that have long faced barriers to timely, affordable care.
“Nurses have been pushing for this reform for over a decade. The evidence shows nurse prescribing improves patient outcomes, increases satisfaction with care, and reduces the burden on our hospitals and GPs. Today’s recommendation brings us one step closer to making that a reality for every Australian.”
The Committee’s report confirms that robust safeguards are embedded in the legislation, including prescribing agreements with authorised health practitioners, specific qualification and endorsement requirements, and full inclusion under the Professional Services Review – the same oversight framework that applies to all other PBS prescribers.
The bill aligns with the recommendations of the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce: Scope of Practice Review and the objectives of the National Medicines Policy, including equitable access to medicines.
“While this is a major step, there is still more work to be done to support nurses to care for people using all their skills and experience,” said Adjunct Professor Zeitz. “As yet, there is no funding mechanism to enable RN prescribing in aged care and primary care settings.”
“We are also concerned that nurses are already undertaking study to become RN prescribers, even though the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and Health Minister are yet to declare which medications designated RN prescribers may prescribe,” said Adjunct Professor Zeitz. “We would like clarity around when these decisions will be finalised.”
ACN calls on the Senate to pass the bill without delay and urges the Government to ensure that the necessary legislation is in place well ahead of the first cohort of nurse prescribers graduating in July 2026, so that they and their patients can access these reforms.
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