We are seeking feedback on proposed changes to the Automated External Defibrillators (AED) (Public Access) Act 2022.

What's being decided?

Following a review of the current legislation, and feedback received from building owners, we are proposing changes to the AED Act to enable consistent application and implementation.

The main changes include:

• Clarifying the applicability of the Act through inclusion of new and revised key term definitions.
• Provision of increased regulation making powers including standardised metric for determining applicable floor area.
• Exemption mechanism from the Act's requirements.
• Aligning the applicable floor area to publicly accessible floor area.
• Removal of the annual requirement to test AEDs, and amendment of maintenance requirements to align with manufacturer instructions.

We want to hear feedback on these changes from building owners and building managers, and any other interested people.

Background

The Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Act was passed by both Houses of the South Australian Parliament in November 2022, and received royal assent by the Governor in December 2022.

Sections 3 – 17 of the Act will come into operation on 1 January 2025. However obligations under the Act will not apply for non-Crown owned buildings, facilities, and vehicles until 1 January 2026, in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Act. An Across Government AED Steering Committee is overseeing the roll out of the Act and the implementation of its key deliverables.

Get involved

Find out more:

• read the Draft Amendment Bill
• read the Explanatory Guide
• Read the current AED Act(External link)

Have your say by:

• taking our survey below.
• email a submission to Health.AutomatedExternalDefibrillators@sa.gov.au(External link)

What are the next steps?

We will consider your feedback to finalise the draft amendment bill.

We will summarise and publish any additional changes resulting from feedback on this and on the SA Health website(External link).