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South Australian Defibrillator Legislation Update

South Australian Defibrillator Legislation Update

by | Apr 15, 2025 | AED Legislation & Defibrillator Compliance, Defibrillator News & Updates, Guides & Resources, Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

South Australia’s New Defibrillator Laws: What You Need to Know for 2025–2026 Compliance

Why South Australia’s AED Laws Are Critical for Public Safety

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) claims over 30,000 lives annually in Australia, making rapid intervention crucial. Immediate CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) use can boost survival rates by up to 74% when administered promptly.

In response, South Australia has enacted the Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Act 2022. This groundbreaking legislation ensures essential access to AEDs, significantly enhancing community safety.

 

Understanding the South Australian AED Legislation Requirements

The new law mandates specific public and commercial properties in South Australia to install AEDs by clearly defined deadlines.

Which Facilities Must Install AEDs?

Mandatory AED installation applies from:

  • 1 January 2025 (Crown-owned properties)
  • 1 January 2026 (Non-Crown entities)

Facilities required to comply include:

  • Commercial offices ≥600m²
  • Shopping centres
  • Residential apartment complexes
  • Aged care & retirement villages
  • Educational institutions (schools, childcare centres, TAFEs, universities)
  • Swimming and recreational centres
  • Theatres, gaming venues & casinos
  • Correctional institutions & custodial police facilities
  • Public transport vehicles (trains, trams, buses)
  • Residential parks & caravan parks
  • New commercial constructions post-2026

Installation Rule: One AED per every 1,200m². For example, a facility measuring 2,400m² must install two AEDs.

 

Important Compliance Dates & Penalties

Requirement Deadline
AED Installation (Crown) 1 Jan 2025
AED Installation (Non-Crown) 1 Jan 2026
AED Testing & Maintenance Annually (minimum)
AED Registration SA AED Register

⚠️ Penalty for Non-Compliance: Fines up to $20,000 AUD

 

Liability and Good Samaritan Protection in South Australia

Organisations often worry about liability with publicly accessible AEDs. Fortunately, South Australia’s Civil Liability Act 1936 provides robust Good Samaritan protection, ensuring individuals acting in good faith during medical emergencies are shielded from civil liability—even if outcomes are unfavourable.

How to Ensure Compliance with the New AED Law

To maintain compliance and safeguard your community, organisations must:

  1. ✅ Install AEDs according to square metre specifications.
  2. 🛠 Conduct regular annual maintenance (we recommend our concierge services ).
  3. 📍 Install clear AED signage meeting international standards.
  4. 📝 Register AEDs with South Australia’s official AED Register.

Expert Assistance for AED Implementation and Compliance

AED Authority provides comprehensive services, including site assessments, AED installation, signage, registration, and concierge maintenance programs, making compliance easy and efficient.

Call AED Authority: 1300 233 123

Contact Us Today to get started.

Why buy a Defibrillator with compliance to the ANZCOR Guidelines

by | Dec 6, 2017 | AED Legislation & Defibrillator Compliance, Community & Workplace Safety, Defibrillator News & Updates, Defibrillator Tips & Safety Best Practices, Defibrillators, Guides & Resources, Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

What Are The ANZCOR Guidelines?

The ANZCOR guidelines are evidence based resuscitation protocols that include recommendations for Automated External Defibrillators.

The guidelines have been developed with consideration of all available scientific and published information.

Defibrillators that have a high level of compliance with the ANZCOR Guidelines offer the best practice features as recommended by the Australian Resuscitation Council.

Who Is The Australian Resuscitation Council

The Australian Resuscitation Council is sponsored by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, it is a not for profit voluntary coordinating body which represents all major groups involved in the teaching and practice of resuscitation. More information on the Australian Resuscitation Council can be found at https://resus.org.au/

What Defibrillators Best Meet The ANZCOR Guidelines

The Physio Control LIFEPAK®   CR2 is a stand out when it comes to compliance to the ANZCOR Guidelines as it ;

  • It complies with the ANZCOR recommendation for escalating energy to 360 Joules “If the first shock is not successful and the defibrillator is capable of delivering shocks of higher energy, it is reasonable to increase the energy to the maximum available for subsequent shocks.”  
  • It complies with the ANZCOR recommendation for default initial energy of 200 Joules For biphasic waveforms: “The default initial energy level for adults should be set at 200J.”
  • It complies with the ANZCOR recommendation for decreased time to defibrillation. It is the fastest unit on the market to shock * and uses CPR insight technology to allow CPR to be performed while its analyzing a heart rhythm giving more hands on patient time to perform CPR.   “The chance of successful defibrillation decreases with time. Therefore the performance of good CPR and decreasing the time to  defibrillation are the highest priorities in resuscitation from sudden cardiac arrest.”

We would encourage any prospective customers to make themselves familiar with the ANZCOR guidelines and make sure that any first aid or emergency training they complete is in line with these guidelines. A full copy of all the ANZCOR Guidelines can be found at  https://resus.org.au/guidelines/.

More information on the LIFEPAK®  CR2 defibrillator can be found at https://aedauthority.com.au/product/lifepak-cr2/

*Physio-Control Internal Semi-Automatic AED Comparison Usability Study, August 2016. Reported results are median data unless otherwise noted.