Victoria to introduce new laws for IVF clinics after bungles

The Victorian government is introducing legislation it says will make IVF clinics safer and more accountable following high-profile bungles by private providers.

As part of the changes, the state's health minister will have the power to personally intervene to cancel a provider's registration.

The government initiated an urgent review of IVF practices last year after embryo mix-ups involving private provider Monash IVF.

In April 2025, the fertility group apologised after a patient unknowingly gave birth to a stranger's baby after the wrong embryo was transferred.

Just two months later it was revealed Monash IVF incorrectly transferred the wrong embryo into a patient in Melbourne.

The bungles led to a national rapid review led by the Victorian Department of Health that looked at regulation and accreditation in the sector.

The government said the review "identified significant shortcomings in the current national system, including a lack of consistency across states."

The Victorian government has announced it will introduce an amendment to the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 that it says will give the health department "stronger powers".

The new legislation includes stronger accreditation requirements under a new national scheme, led by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

The government said this would mean "tougher scrutiny" to obtain accreditation and "strict new standards" to maintain accreditation.

Victorian Health Minister Harriet Shing said the reforms built on existing safeguards.

"Victorian families deserve to have confidence that their IVF provider is held to the highest standards, and that the fertility care they are getting is subject to rigorous oversight," she said.

The government said the changes would allow it to act independently to make decisions on a provider's registration status and authority to operate in Victoria.

The health minister will have powers to intervene and cancel a provider's registration if it fails to meet the new standards, which the government described as strict.

"This includes performance metrics, workforce guidance and safety requirements for new technologies," a government spokesperson said.

"The amendments will also introduce a standard three-year registration period.

"This timeframe can be shorter if the department identifies any concerns or risks with a provider."

The health department will also have broader powers to enter a provider's premises and inspect or seize equipment or documents.