Australians use "chemist" and "pharmacy" to mean the same thing: the shop you go to for prescriptions, vaccinations, and over-the-counter medicines. The shop is the same whichever word you use. The word that does matter is "pharmacist", the registered health practitioner you deal with at the counter. A pharmacist dispenses your prescription, gives you medication advice, runs vaccinations, and, under state-based pharmacist prescribing programs, can now treat a short list of everyday conditions without a doctor first in a growing number of states. So "I am going to the chemist" and "I am going to the pharmacy" describe the same trip, while "I would like to speak to the pharmacist" is a different request: you are asking for the qualified person rather than a counter assistant. For the wider picture, see our guide to finding a pharmacy in Australia.
General information, not medical advice
This guide explains how things work in general. It cannot tell you what is right for you, so check anything that affects you with your pharmacist or GP.
Always read the label and follow the directions for use.
Based on official Australian government and health sources. Rules can change.
Why do we say "chemist" and "pharmacy"?
"Chemist" is the older Australian word. It traces back to the British "chemist and druggist" tradition, where a trained chemist prepared medicines on the premises, and Australia kept the habit. Regulators use "pharmacy" in formal documents, and most people still say "chemist", and both are correct. In casual conversation the two are interchangeable; in professional and regulatory contexts, "pharmacy" is the standard word for the shop.
What is a pharmacist trained to do?
A pharmacist in Australia is a registered health practitioner, not a shop assistant. To practise, a pharmacist must hold an accredited pharmacy degree (a Bachelor or Master of Pharmacy), complete an approved intern training program and a period of supervised practice, pass the Pharmacy Board's written and oral registration examinations (Provisional to general registration, Pharmacy Board of Australia), and be registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). That registration is public and checkable in real time on the AHPRA register, which lists every registered pharmacist, along with any conditions that limit what they can do.
Beyond dispensing, a pharmacist's day-to-day work includes vaccinations (pharmacists with additional training give some vaccinations, including flu and COVID-19, and who can be vaccinated at a pharmacy varies from state to state, according to healthdirect), medication reviews including a MedsCheck or a Home Medicines Review, and continued dispensing, an emergency supply of an eligible regular medicine when you have run out and cannot reach a prescriber in time, once in a 12-month period (Continued dispensing, PBS). Under state-based pharmacist prescribing programs, a pharmacist can also treat some conditions directly. According to healthdirect, in most parts of Australia a pharmacist can treat an uncomplicated urinary tract infection for people aged 18 to 65 who are not pregnant, and may be able to resupply the oral contraceptive pill (Getting the most out of your pharmacist, healthdirect). The scope is set by each state and keeps expanding, so it is worth checking what is available where you are.
The pharmacist is the one who can check your medicines and advise you, and you can ask to speak with them at the counter.
What makes a shop a pharmacy?
A pharmacy is a retail premises licensed to dispense medicines, and it operates under strict rules. Under state and territory law it must usually be owned by a registered pharmacist, with limited exceptions; in Victoria, for example, some friendly societies (member-based mutuals) can also own pharmacies (Guidance on pharmacy business ownership, Victorian Pharmacy Authority). To dispense Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines it also needs federal approval, which a pharmacist applies for under the National Health Act and which is assessed against the Pharmacy Location Rules (Establish a new pharmacy, health.gov.au). Australia has about 6,000 community pharmacies, according to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
More than 95% of community pharmacies are also accredited under the Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP), a voluntary quality assurance program (What is QCPP). QCPP is being replaced by the Quality and Safety Pharmacy Program (QSPP), which starts on 1 October 2026 (QSPP). Because it is voluntary, the absence of the QCPP logo does not by itself mean a pharmacy is substandard, while its presence signals a pharmacy investing in quality systems. Our QCPP accreditation guide explains what it covers.
How do you find the right pharmacy for your need?
The label on the shopfront, whether "chemist", "pharmacy", or "discount chemist", tells you very little. What matters is the service you need. For dispensing and medicines advice, any community pharmacy will do, while vaccinations and other pharmacist-led services vary from pharmacy to pharmacy. For complex medication management, five or more medicines, a recent hospital discharge, or dementia, it is worth looking for a pharmacy whose pharmacist provides Home Medicines Reviews. For a compounded medicine, made to order, you need a pharmacy that offers compounding, and not every pharmacy does. And for a state-specific service like pharmacist treatment of a urinary tract infection, your state decides which pharmacies can offer it. On Pharmacy Finder you can filter by service and by opening hours to shortlist the right shop without phoning around.
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Frequently asked questions
None, if you mean the shop: "chemist" and "pharmacy" are two names for the same place, both correct in everyday speech, with "pharmacy" the one regulators use. The real difference is the pharmacist, the registered health practitioner inside, as opposed to the pharmacy assistants who work alongside them.
No. A pharmacist is a registered health practitioner with a separate qualification, scope of practice, and regulator. Pharmacists cannot diagnose most conditions or prescribe most medicines, though the exceptions are growing under state prescribing programs, and a doctor is still needed for most prescriptions.
Pharmacist registration is handled nationally by the Pharmacy Board of Australia, through AHPRA, while pharmacy ownership and premises rules are set by each state and territory (in Victoria, for example, the Victorian Pharmacy Authority licenses pharmacy businesses).
You can search the AHPRA register by name. A current pharmacist shows as "Registered", and any limit on what they may do appears there as a condition, so the register settles the question in under a minute.
