Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Amendment 2022

# Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Amendment 2022 ## What it does This bill updates how the government charges fees for narcotic drug licences (like those for pharmaceutical companies and research organisations that handle controlled drugs). It broadens what the government can charge fees for — not just the licence itself, but also related matters and activities covered by that licence. It also gives the government more flexibility to set different fee amounts for different types of licences and activities. ## Why it matters The changes allow the government to recover costs more fairly across the different ways licences are actually used. This could mean some licence holders pay more or less depending on what they do with their licence, rather than everyone paying the same flat fee. ## Key details - The new charges apply to "matters that relate to a licence" — regulators can now charge for activities and things connected to the licence, not just the licence itself - Different licence classes and different activities can have different fee amounts (e.g. a research licence might cost differently than a pharmacy licence) - The law comes into effect the day after Royal Assent - All existing regulations stay valid under the old system, so there's no disruption to current licence holders

🔒 Voting closed — this bill has been decided by parliament