Advisory committee membership – Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2022

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The NSW Government is inviting applications from people interested in becoming members of a Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods, Clinical Advisory Committee, or Regulatory Advisory Committee.

On this page​

  1. Committee overview
  2. Role of committee members
  3. ​ Term of appointment
  4. Skills and experience
  5. Remuneration
  6. Public sector employees​
  7. Selection of committee members​​
  8. Standards of conduct
  9. Privacy of information provided in your application 
  10. How to express an interest​

Committee overview ​

Clinical Advisory Committee 

The functions of the Clinical Advisory Committee are to:
  • ​Make recommendations to the Health Secretary about ​applications for approvals and existing approvals. These approvals are currently for high-risk medicines such as Schedule 8 opioids and psychotropic medicines.
  • Advise the Health Secretary on other matters referred to the committee by the Health Secretary.
  • Advise on other prescribed functions under the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2022​ (the Act). 
Expressions of interest (EOI) from medical practitioners and nurse practitioners are sought for appointment to the Clinical Advisory Committee. 

Regulatory Advisory Committee 

The functions of the Regulatory Advisory Committee are to advise the Health Secretary on matters referred to it by the Health Secretary relating to:

  • the operation, administration or amendment of the Act, the regulations and the NSW Poisons Schedules, including proposals to make, alter or repeal the regulations
  • therapeutic goods or stock medicines
  • the scheduling of substances under the Commonwealth Therapeutic Goods Act.

Expressions of interest from individuals with qualifications or experience in the following areas are sought for appointment to the Regulatory Advisory Committee. Applicants should nominate their primary area of expertise (see list below) for the purposes of the committee in the EOI form. ​

  1. ​​medicine, dentistry, nursing, and midwifery,
  2. veterinary practice,
  3. industrial use of scheduled substances, including in primary industry,
  4. pharmacology,
  5. toxicology,
  6. the medicines manufacturing and distribution industries,
  7. the development of medicines and the regulation of scheduled substances, including their registration as therapeutic goods under the Commonwealth Therapeutic Goods Act,
  8. assessing the risk of harm to humans, animals, or the environment arising in connection with therapeutic goods,
  9. as a consumer of therapeutic goods.

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Role of the committee members​

Members of the Clinical Advisory Committee and the Regulatory Advisory Committee will provide advice to the Health Secretary on regulatory and clinical matters relating to the prescribing and supply of medicines, poisons, and therapeutic goods in NSW. Members represent the interests of consumers, healthcare professionals, and the broader community by providing informed, independent advice to the NSW Health Secretary.
Committee members are expected to be knowledgeable in their respective fields and understand the regulatory and clinical environment in which the committees operate. Members will be appointed as independent individuals and are required to act in the best interests of the committee and its functions.

​Skills and experience

Applicants must complete the relevant EOI form for the committee they are applying for and submit an up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV). Additional relevant experience and qualifications may be detailed in their CV.

Term of appointment​

Committee members may be appointed for a term of up to three years. 
The Regulatory Advisory Committee will meet three times a year, with each session expected to last for about three hours. 
The Clinical Advisory Committee will meet 6 times a year. There may be some additional commitments with subcommittees.​

​Remuneration​

Members appointed to the Clinical Advisory Committee will be entitled to be paid remuneration of a rate of up to $628 per day, subject to the requirements of the  NSW Public Service Commission Classification and Remuneration Framework for NSW Government Boards and Committees​​​.

Public sector employees are not eligible for remuneration if appointed as a member.

Members appointed to the Regulatory Advisory Committee are not remunerated.

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Public Sector Employees​

Public sector employees are welcome to apply, but will be ineligible for renumeration.

​​Selection of committee members​

Members of each committee will be selected to ensure a balanced membership including a sufficient mix of skills, knowledge, attributes and expertise to meet the responsibilities of the committee.

The Regulatory Advisory Committee must include members appointed from particular organisations under ​section 127(5)​ of the Act, as well as members appointed on the basis their expertise.

It is also NSW Government policy that the membership of committees should reflect the interests of the community as a whole, including women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability or special needs, and young people.

The capacity of candidates to contribute time to the workload and demands of a committee will also be a factor in the final selection process.

​Selection process

Applications that are incomplete or do not answer the criteria will be excluded from the process. Applications that meet the selection criteria will be assessed based on the applicant’s EOI and CV, and a shortlist will be created. Shortlisted applicants may be interviewed.

Referee reports

As a part of the application, applicants are asked to nominate two referees (including their positions) who can attest to the applicant's skills, qualifications and capabilities to meet the responsibilities of the committee.

​EOI Register

Persons who apply for a Member position vacancy but who are unsuccessful will be notified following the completion of the EOI process.

Those applicants not successful will be included in the individual Regulatory Advisory Committee and Clinical Advisory Committee registers. This provides a pool of interested persons available to fill ad hoc vacancies. An EOI may remain on the Register for a period of two years.

Probity checks for shortlisted applicants

Appointees to government boards and committees need to have records of personal, professional and commercial integrity. Applicants subject to appointment will be required to complete a satisfactory national criminal record check and will be checked against the NSW Government Lobby Register as part of the selection process. 

Checks will also be undertaken of the:

  • Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) registers, to identify persons who are prohibited or disqualified from managing corporations.
  • Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) records (formerly known as the Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia (ITSA)), including the National Personal Insolvency Index, to identify individuals who are insolvent or subject to insolvency arrangements.
  • Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) records, to verify the registration status and regulatory history of health practitioners.
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​Standards of conduct​

  • Committee members will be expected to adhere to public sector standards and principles of conduct to ensure public confidence and trust in the committee is maintained.
  • All committee members need a clear understanding of their public duty and legal responsibilities and must act for the proper purpose without exceeding their powers.
  • Committee members must ensure the efficient and responsible expenditure of public funds in accordance with government legislation, policy, and guidelines.
  • Pecuniary or other interests of a member that may potentially be in conflict, or seen to be in conflict with their role as a member must be disclosed and managed in accordance with public sector standards. This may include registering the interest and abstaining from decisions that relate to the interest of the member.

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Information provided in your application - privacy issues

The NSW Ministry of Health is collecting your personal information to assess your suitability for appointment to a NSW Government Committee. As part of the appointment process, your personal information will be held confidentially and will only be disclosed to persons involved in the shortlisting and appointment process.
Your information will be handled in a secure manner and will only be accessed as required. Your information will also be used in a de-identified format in order to:
  • meet whole of Government reporting requirements
  • enable the Government to monitor the diversity of appointments to and composition of statutory and other bodies to which the Government makes appointments; and
  • allow accurate reporting on the profile of public sector entity board and committee memberships of the State’s public sector entities.

If you are appointed to the Clinical Advisory Committee or Regulatory Advisory Committee, the following information may be made available to the public on a NSW Government website and within press releases issued by NSW Health:

  • your first name and surname
  • the term of your current appointment
  • the position held, for example, Member or Chair
  • the name of the Committee

How to express an i​nterest​

In order to be included on the EOI Register, interested individuals must complete an EOI form and provide a current curriculum vitae (CV).

EOI for Clinical Advisory Committee​

EOI for Regulatory Advisory Committee

​EOI may be submitted by:

Email: NSWH-BoardAppointments@health.nsw.gov.au

Post:

Attn: EOI Membership NSW Health Boards
Corporate Governance and Risk Management
NSW Ministry of Health
Locked Mail Bag 2030
St Leonards NSW 1590

For further information and to access the EOI form, see Expressions of Interest - NSW Health Boards Register. 

To apply, individuals need to complete an EOI in​dicating their skills and experience relevant to the role by the end of 28 April 2026.

For further information, please call 1800 32​8 998.

Current as at: Tuesday 7 April 2026
Contact page owner: Pharmaceutical Services