Business plan: 2024-25

I am pleased to present the 2024-25 Business Plan for the Office of Drug Control (ODC). This document outlines our strategic direction and priorities for effective regulation preventing the diversion of controlled drugs, including narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, for illicit supply and use. The ODC is committed to contributing to the safeguards and health of the Australian community through effective regulation of controlled drugs and the medicinal cannabis industry.

The ODC ensures Australia meets its international obligations. The ODC has maintained its strong commitment to international drug treaties and conventions by meeting all reporting timeframes for internationally controlled drugs. The ODC works to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the Australian community by continuing to maintain a strong relationship with the International Narcotics Control Board and overseas National Authorities in the operation of the drug treaties. A further focus has been monitoring and responding to trade issues to ensure no disruption to access to essential medicines.

The ODC is also responsible for supporting licence and permit arrangements for Government initiatives such as the new vaping regulations and the kava pilot program. In 2023-24 the ODC issued 14,325 licenses and permits to import and export, a 19% increase over 2022-23.

We will continuously improve our performance and engage with stakeholders on Australia’s regulatory framework for medicinal cannabis. Last year we strengthened stakeholder engagement through consistent and transparent communication. Moving forward, we will build on this by increasing opportunities for stakeholder input and leveraging feedback to refine our processes.

In 2023-24 requests for medicinal cannabis permits continued to grow, with the ODC granting more permits compared to the previous 2 years. This growth required the ODC to invest in improved data reporting mechanisms to better monitor cannabis volumes and avoid stockpiling.

We are committed to improving our stakeholders’ experience with us. A transformation of the ODC’s systems and related business processes commenced in 2023-24, with the rollout out of the first phase in July 2024. Outdated and inefficient manual processes are being replaced by a digital portal enabling stakeholders to lodge and track applications, pay fees and charges, and manage reporting and regulatory obligations. The transformation continues in 2024-25 and will streamline application processes for our customers.

Compliance with the relevant legislation and conditions of narcotics-related licences and permits remains a priority. We work with partner agencies to ensure an intelligence-led and rigorous approach to compliance activity. The ODC continues to explore ways to support continuous improvement in compliance and support education of the sector. Our commitment to rigorous regulatory standards and stakeholder collaboration underscores our role in protecting public health and supporting broader public health objectives. The ODC will continue to evolve its approach to appropriately manage risk while not unnecessarily impeding the operations of the entities that it regulates.

Professor Anthony Lawler
FACEM, FRACMA, MBBS, MBA (Health Mgmt), FIFEM, GAICD, BMedSci