The Office of Drug Control (ODC) has taken another step in its technology overhaul with the introduction of an online portal through which companies can lodge applications for medicinal cannabis manufacturing licences.
The Health Business Services (HBS) portal allows businesses to submit forms digitally and monitor the status and progress of their licence applications.
Applicants and existing licence holders can also update nominated contacts and grant registered users permission to prepare and submit applications on their behalf.
At launch, the portal is restricted to manufacturing licences, with other licence types, permits and notification forms to be brought onto the platform throughout the year.
The ODC indicated that the A$3 million IT upgrade is part of a commitment to “deliver more transparent, evidence and risk-based regulation, while reducing the regulatory burden on industry”.
Moving away from the ODC’s labour-intensive, paper-based systems had been previously signalled by assistant secretary Avi Rebera, who pledged to deliver a more efficient service for the industry. Automating processes, cutting duplication and accelerating application turnaround times were among the central objectives.
The long-awaited investment came after years of central government underfunding that had left both the industry and ODC staff frustrated and overstretched.
A particular source of frustration for businesses had been the difficulty in tracking where an application stood in the process — something the portal is designed to address.
The ODC informed the industry that it will be “iteratively releasing more functionalities that will allow industry members to complete a range of currently paper-based tasks more quickly and conveniently online”.
The drug regulator added: “Throughout 2024, the Office of Drug Control has been undertaking a Transformation Program, through which we are establishing the online Health Business Services portal and digital case management system to make it easier and more convenient for industry stakeholders to do business with us.
“We will progressively move all other licence, permit and notification forms onto the portal throughout the remainder of 2024.”
