Department of Health

Assisted reproductive treatment reform

Find out about the proposed legislative reforms to assisted reproductive treatment regulation.

Key messages

  • The Victorian Government is proposing reforms to health regulation in Victoria to better protect Victorians and provide greater consistency to regulation across the health system.
  • The proposals include reforms to the regulation of assisted reproductive treatment (ART) under the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008External Link .
  • In summary, the proposals include transferring responsibility for ART regulation from the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) to the Department of Health (the department), changes to the functions currently undertaken by VARTA, and improvements to the compliance and enforcement tools available to regulate ART.

Proposed reforms

In December 2023, the Minister for Health announced the establishment of the Health Regulator – a new branch of the department responsible for most of the department's regulatory functions. The Minister also announced that proposed reforms to ART regulation in Victoria were being developed, including transferring responsibility for the regulation of registered ART providers from VARTA to the Health Regulator.

In May 2024 the department consulted with stakeholders. Feedback on the consultation paper informed the design of the proposed reforms and will continue to inform planning and implementation.

A consultation summary is now available.

On 13 August 2024, the Victorian Government introduced the Health Legislation Amendment (Regulatory Reform) Bill 2024 (the Bill) into the Parliament of Victoria.

The Bill proposes reforms to health regulation in Victoria to:

  • Improve compliance and enforcement powers across the health system.
  • Change how ART is regulated in Victoria and the functions currently delivered by VARTA.

Further information

For more information, including the consultation summary, consultation paper and next steps, see Reforms to Health Regulation in Victoria.

Information and updates about the Bill are available on Victorian Legislation’s websiteExternal Link .

For more information or to sign up for updates on the proposed reforms, email the department's Legislative and Regulatory Reform Team at legandregreform@health.vic.gov.au.

Reviewed 13 August 2024

Health.vic

Contact us

Legislative and Regulatory Reform team Department of Health

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