About the Guild
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is a national employers’ organisation registered under the federal Fair Work Act 2009, with almost 100 years of experience in representing and promoting the value of community pharmacy in the Australian health care system.
Community pharmacies are a vital part of our national health system with the potential to make an even bigger contribution to the health of all Australians.
About Community Pharmacy
See detailed fact sheets on a range of community pharmacy issues.
Establishment
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia was established in 1927 as the Federated Pharmaceutical Services Guild of Australia and was registered under the Federal Industrial Relations Act as an employers’ organisation for the owners of community pharmacies. It was set up to serve the interests of its members. Almost 100 years later, it continues to serve its members and the Australian public who value their local pharmacy.
- Aims and Objectives
- Purpose, Vision and Mission
- Structure
- Contact the Guild
Aims and Objectives
About the Community Pharmacy Network
There are over 5,800 community pharmacies equitably distributed around Australia.
Community pharmacies are the most frequently accessed and most accessible health destination in Australia, with over 462 million individual patient visits annually and the vast majority of pharmacies open after-hours, including weekends.
Each year, community pharmacies dispense a total of over 218 million prescriptions, with a value of $10.6 billion and 460 million sales of over-the-counter products, with a value of $5.2 billion.
Australia’s community pharmacies employ over 70,000 staff directly, including approximately 20,000 registered pharmacists.
Pharmacists are one of the most trusted professions in Australia along with nurses and doctors. Public opinion surveys have shown that 84% of adults trust the advice they receive from pharmacists.
About the Guild
Established in 1927, the Guild advocates for the vital role of community pharmacies in the Australian healthcare system. With nearly a century of experience, it works to ensure that pharmacies remain accessible, sustainable, and equipped to meet the evolving needs of patients across the country.
The Guild’s focus is not just on pharmacy as a profession, but as a viable business and as an integral public private partnership. Consistency in funding, regulation, and supply chains is essential so that pharmacies can deliver certainty to patients. The Guild works to secure that certainty through long-term planning, industry leadership and strong advocacy. It also plays a key role in negotiating Community Pharmacy Agreements with the Australian Government, which underpin the delivery of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines through community pharmacies. Each and every day, the Guild helps shape policy and practice to strengthen the future of pharmacy in Australia.
As the healthcare landscape evolves, so too does the opportunity for community pharmacy to lead.
Please refer to Towards 2035 for more information about our aims and objectives.
Purpose, Vision and Mission
Our Purpose
Create healthier communities.
Our Vision
Our communities think pharmacy first for healthcare.
Our Mission
To serve, empower and ignite community pharmacies to reach their full potential to provide accessible healthcare in their local communities.
Our Values
- Authenticity
- Connection
- Excellence
Our Behaviours
- We respect and care for people, place and self
- We do what we say we will do
- We go further together
- We find a way
- We lead by examaple
Our Focus Areas
The strategy is anchored by four focus areas:
- Patient Services and Innovation
- Member Services, Value and Engagement
- Advocacy and Partnerships
- A Thriving Community Pharmacy Network
Please refer to Towards 2035 for more information about our vision, mission and beliefs.
Structure
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is a single legal entity with branches in each state and territory to serve members and assist the National Council and National Executive in carrying out its aims and objectives.
Branch activities centre on the day-to-day servicing of members in such fields as industrial relations, marketing, staff training, and product and economic information.
The National Council is the supreme governing body. It lays down all Guild policies, decides major issues and has the power to amend the Constitution, subject to referendum where required. Supporting National Council in the development of policies is a number of national committees that undertake research, examine strategies, provide advice and recommend policy approaches.
The Executive Director is entrusted with implementing the policies and decisions of National Council through the National Secretariat, a small, flexible organisation with salaried, professional and administrative staff, and consultants engaged as required. The Secretariat is located in the Parliamentary Zone in Canberra, close to Parliament House. The National President works closely with the Executive Director and the Secretariat, and is the main spokesperson for the Guild. While always a pharmacist proprietor, the role of National President is effectively full-time.
National Secretariat operations focus on the following areas: Member Services and Engagement, Advocacy, Community Pharmacy Sustainability, and Governance and Enabling Functions.
Contact the Guild
Membership Enquiries
Contact your local branch membership manager.
Other Enquiries
Contact the Pharmacy Guild National Secretariat or your state/territory branch.
Page last updated on: 29 August 2025