The Victorian government is proposing legislative reforms to improve the regulatory tools available under health portfolio legislation. This includes reforms to improve the compliance and enforcement tools for regulating cooling tower and water delivery systems under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.

The reforms seek to introduce regulatory tools that enable graduated, risk-based and proportionate regulation. This includes consistent powers to issue infringement notices, issue improvement and prohibition notices, accept enforceable undertakings, and to require the provision of information or documents to support compliance monitoring.

Amendments are proposed to the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (DPCS Act), the Health Services Act 1988, the Non-Emergency Patient Transport and First Aid Services Act 2003 (NEPTFAS Act), the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (PHW Act), the Radiation Act 2005 and the Safe Drinking Water Act 2003.

The department has released a consultation paper to seek stakeholder views, to build understanding of the reforms and to support their implementation.

Submissions will be accepted until midnight May 31, 2024.