AED Requirements in Victoria: What Workplaces Need to Know

If you run a business, sports club, school, or public venue in Victoria, you've probably seen the headlines about AEDs becoming mandatory and wondered where Victoria actually stands. This guide sets out what is genuinely required of a Victorian workplace today, what is strongly recommended, and how to make a defensible decision either way.

An honest note before we start: AED legislation is moving quickly across Australia, and the specifics differ by state and change over time. This article explains the framework and the duties that apply. It is general information, not legal advice, and you should verify the current position for your specific circumstances with WorkSafe Victoria or a qualified WHS adviser before making a compliance decision. Where we're describing a general duty rather than a specific statutory mandate, we say so plainly.

The duty that definitely applies: OHS in Victoria

Victoria is the one state that sits outside the harmonised national Work Health and Safety framework. Instead of the WHS Act, Victoria operates under its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic), regulated by WorkSafe Victoria.

The practical effect for AEDs is similar to the rest of the country, though. Under the OHS Act, an employer has a duty to provide and maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. That duty is broad and outcome-focused. It does not list specific equipment — it asks whether you have done what is reasonably practicable to control foreseeable risks.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a foreseeable risk anywhere there are people. And this is the key point: as AEDs have become cheaper, easier to use, and demonstrably effective, the argument that providing one is not "reasonably practicable" has become progressively weaker — particularly for larger sites, public-facing venues, workplaces with an older or higher-risk workforce, and locations distant from ambulance response.

So while Victoria's OHS Act does not, as a general workplace rule, name AEDs as compulsory equipment, the general duty can still point strongly towards providing one depending on your circumstances. "Not specifically mandated" is not the same as "not required."

Where specific AED requirements do exist

Beyond the general duty, specific AED obligations can arise from particular contexts rather than one blanket law. Depending on your situation, requirements or strong expectations may come from:

• Industry regulations and standards for particular sectors.
• Sporting body and facility requirements — many peak sporting organisations now require or strongly recommend AEDs at clubs and venues, independent of general law.
• Local government and venue conditions — councils and facility operators may impose AED requirements as a condition of use or lease.
• Insurance conditions — public liability policies increasingly reference emergency preparedness.

Because these are situation-specific, the only reliable approach is to check what applies to your sector, venue, and insurer rather than assume a single rule covers you.

The interstate trend Victoria businesses should watch

South Australia has moved furthest, with legislation progressively requiring AEDs in a defined range of buildings, workplaces, and facilities. We cover it in detail in our SA AED legislation guide.

The significance for Victorian operators is directional. When one state legislates a specific mandate, others frequently examine following. Businesses that get ahead of the trend — installing and properly maintaining AEDs before they're compelled to — are both better protected in the meantime and better placed if Victoria moves toward a specific mandate later. Retrofitting under a compliance deadline is always more expensive and more rushed than doing it deliberately now.

For the national picture, see our workplace first aid requirements guide, and for a neighbouring-state comparison, AED laws in NSW.

Making a defensible decision

Whether or not a specific mandate applies to you, the OHS Act expects you to have actively considered the risk. That means doing — and documenting — a first-aid risk assessment that explicitly addresses AEDs. Consider:

• How many people are on site — staff, customers, visitors.
• Your workforce risk profile — age, physical exertion, pre-existing conditions.
• Public access — venues with high public footfall carry stronger expectations.
• Distance from emergency response — survival falls by roughly 10% per minute without defibrillation, so remoteness sharply raises the case for an on-site AED.
• The cost of the control versus the risk — with AEDs now relatively inexpensive and simple to use, this balance increasingly favours providing one.

Write the assessment down and record the reasoning either way. If you decide against an AED, a documented, reasoned assessment is your evidence that you met the duty to consider it. If something goes wrong and you never considered it at all, that's a much harder position to defend.

If you install one, you must maintain it

Putting an AED on the wall creates an ongoing duty. Under Australian Standard AS 3718 and general maintenance obligations, equipment must be kept in working order per manufacturer specifications, and most public liability policies require documented maintenance records as a condition of cover.

The self-test light on the front of the unit confirms it powered on and passed an internal check. It does not verify delivered shock energy, and it is not a compliance document. Pads and batteries expire on dates that are easy to lose track of. We explain the gap in why the green light isn't enough.

Vectr Medical provides NATA-certified AED testing and certification — full diagnostics, battery and pad inspection, firmware update, and a signed calibration certificate for your OHS file. We collect from your Victorian workplace by courier and return the unit with documentation.

Equipment for Victorian workplaces

Vectr Medical is operated by NATA-certified biomedical engineers and supplies, services, and certifies AEDs Australia-wide, including throughout Victoria. Because we test these devices as well as sell them, we can advise on what genuinely holds up in service.

• Defibrillators (AEDs) — HeartSine, Defibtech, ZOLL, Philips. Not sure which? See our AED selection guide.
• AED cabinets and AED signage — for visible, protected, compliant installation.
• AED testing and certification — documentation for your OHS and insurance records.

Questions about your specific Victorian site? Contact us at joe@novabiomedical.com.au or 1300 723 900.

This article is general information about Victorian workplace health and safety obligations and the role of AEDs. It is not legal advice and does not account for the circumstances of any particular business. AED and workplace safety legislation changes over time and varies by sector and situation. Verify current requirements for your circumstances with WorkSafe Victoria or a qualified OHS professional before relying on this summary.