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Advisory Committee on Chemicals Scheduling (ACCS)
13 September 2021
Role of the ACCS
The ACCS was established to advise and make recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health (or delegate) on the level of access required for chemicals and in some instances medicines
Under revised scheduling arrangements, which took effect on 1 July 2010, the Secretary to the Department of Health (Health) (or the Secretary's delegate) superseded the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) as the decision maker for the scheduling of medicines and chemicals
Scheduling is a classification system that controls how medicines and chemicals are made accessible to consumers based on the substances contained within them. Substances are grouped into Schedules according to the appropriate level of regulatory control over their availability (e.g. Schedule 4 - medicines available only by prescription; Schedule 2 - medicines available over the counter in pharmacies).
Committee membership
Under the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990 (the Regulations), the Committee comprises of nine nominated members and no more than eight appointed members.
Under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (the Act), the Commonwealth, each State, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are entitled to nominate a member on this Committee. These Committee members are referred to as 'nominated' members.
Under the Regulations, the Minister must appoint no more than eight additional members, selected through an open invitation process. These Committee members are referred to as 'appointed' members.
Membership of ACCS comprises professionals with specific scientific, medical or clinical expertise, as well as appropriate consumer health issues relating to chemicals.
Appointed members
Chair
Adjunct Professor Paul Brent is an independent science consultant and continues to specialise in medicines, chemicals and food safety for the World Health Organisation Roster of Experts, the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety, the China Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment, and the Saudi FDA Risk Assessment Committee. Adj. He was a medical researcher at the University of Newcastle Medical School, Department of Clinical Pharmacology. He has previously worked at the TGA and Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Adj. Professor Brent provides expertise in the fields of toxicology and pharmacology.
Members
Dr Rose Cairns (BPharm PhD) is a senior poisons specialist and Director of Research at the NSW Poisons Information Centre, Children’s Hospital in Westmead, as well as a Lecturer in Pharmacy at The University of Sydney. She is a member of the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists. She is also a member of the Toxicology and Poisons Network of Australasia. Her academic publications are indicative of expertise and interest in scheduling and policy (including publications relating to methotrexate dosing errors, synthetic cannabinoids, codeine re-scheduling, alprazolam use and poisoning and deaths from pesticide ingestion). She is an editorial board member of TOXINZ, a clinical toxicology database used by clinicians in over 20 countries, and peer reviewer for numerous academic journals. Dr Cairns brings valuable expertise in the field of toxicology.
Dr Joanne Daly is an Honorary Fellow with CSIRO and a former Group Executive of Agribusiness. Currently, she works with a range of bodies as a consultant in agriculture, biosecurity and biodiversity. She is a board member of Plant Health Australia in the area of plant biosecurity; is a member of the Science Advisory Group for Import Risk Assessments for Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. She has worked in CSIRO for over 30 years, originally as a researcher in entomology in the area of pesticides resistance in insects. Dr Daly provides expertise in agricultural or veterinary chemicals, including industry issues relating to the regulation of chemicals.
Dr Vivian Fung is a biochemical toxicologist specialised in regulatory and occupational toxicology. She currently works as a Principal (Specialist) Inspector, Hygiene & Toxicology with SafeWork NSW. Her experience covers classification to implementation of controls for therapeutic products and industrial chemicals and as a regular participant in the NSW Poisons Advisory Committee. She has held various scientific and regulatory roles in both Singapore and Australia, including Health Sciences Authority of Singapore and AICIS (formerly NICNAS). Dr Fung provides expertise in the fields of toxicology and the regulation of scheduled chemicals in Australia.
Ms Stephanie Newell is qualified in Occupational Health and Safety and is a past member of the TGA Advisory Committee on the Safety of Vaccines and the Lead Working Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Ms Newell provides expertise in the field of consumer health issues relating to the regulation of chemicals.
Professor Lisa Nissen is the head of the School of Clinical Sciences at the Queensland University of Technology. Her research focuses on the factors that influence prescribing of medicines in the community, particularly the quality use of medicines. Professor Nissen provides expertise in the fields of pharmacy and the regulation of medicines in Australia.
Ms Catherine Oh is a regulatory scientist whose experience includes a regulatory chemist role at Nalco Australia, and her current position as the Regulatory & Technical Manager for Accord Australasia. She has obtained undergraduate qualifications from the University of Sydney and postgraduate qualifications from Griffith University. She is a member of professional bodies Australasian College of Toxicology and Risk Assessment and Royal Australian Chemical lnstitute. Ms Oh provides expertise in the field of the regulation of scheduled chemicals and Australia.
Ms Maree Stuart is the founder and leader of MAS Management Systems. She has broad expertise, with qualifications in science, management, law and policy. Ms Stuart is an analytical chemist and a management systems leader. She specialises in business systems and compliance, and metrology of chemical and biological processes. Prior to starting her consultancy, she worked at NATA, a pharmaceutical company and in a large private pathology laboratory. In addition, she has also been admitted as a Solicitor in NSW. Ms Stuart provides expertise in the field of industrial or domestic chemicals including industry issues relating to the regulation of chemicals.
Nominated members
- Dr Kerry Nugent
Commonwealth - Ms Vivien Bevan
Australian Capital Territory - Mr Peter Gilfedder
New South Wales - Ms Lisa Hall
Northern Territory - Ms Uma Rajappa
Queensland - Dr David Simon
South Australia - Mr Sam Halliday
Tasmania - Mrs Effi Liden
Victoria - Ms Jane Carpenter
Western Australia
Meeting dates and decisions timeframes
Stakeholders should note that the timetable outlines the anticipated administrative timeframes associated with matters for the advisory committee. This timetable also reflects public consultation timeframes as required by legislation.
Contact details for the ACCS
Committee Support Unit Therapeutic Goods Administration PO Box 100 WODEN ACT 2606 Attn: Scheduling & Committee Support Section, MDP 122| Chemicals scheduling enquiries | Committee support enquiries | |
|---|---|---|
| chemicals.scheduling@health.gov.au | Committees@health.gov.au | |
| Phone | 1800 020 653 | |
| Postal Address | Advisory Committee on Chemicals Scheduling Therapeutic Goods Administration PO Box 100 WODEN ACT 2606 Attn: Scheduling & Committee Support Section, MDP 122 |
Committee Support Unit Therapeutic Goods Administration PO Box 100 WODEN ACT 2606 Attn: Scheduling & Committee Support Section, MDP 122 |