Established in 1977, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia was the first coherent and effective pharmaceutical body to cover the whole of the country. Although there had been state professional pharmaceutical societies in existence prior to the establishment of the PSA, they were independent and so rarely combined to actively regulate the pharmacy branch of healthcare. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia changed all that, as it was designed to do when it was agreed upon by the existing bodies in place.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia does retain some of the structure of the several independent bodies in existence prior to 1977. Some of those bodies had been above a century old and worked effectively and efficiently within their own states so it made sense to keep using the same principle for the newer national regulatory body. Of course, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia does serve to regulate the practice of pharmacies all over the country and ensures that all laws are enforced, but the functioning of the body goes above and beyond that to serve an all-encompassing purpose.
The functions that the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia performs start with the fact that it provides a national identity to the 75% of Australian pharmacists that belong to it. As a professional body, it offers support and continuing education to all of its members. It also offers professional advice as and when any individual feels that they need it. This is the first element of their existence, but the second is just as important. As well as looking after their members, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia also advocates a high standard of patient care and liaises with other professional and industry bodies, as well as the Commonwealth Government, in order to make sure that the delivery of services is of as high a quality as possible. As such, it is vital in maintaining and improving the standard of pharmacy care offered.
http://www.psa.org.au/site.php?id=33