Another state has revealed plans to tackle doctor-shopping — including fines for GPs who do not check real-time script-tracking software before prescribing dangerous drugs.

Following in the footsteps of Tasmania and Victoria, the Queensland Government introduced draft legislation on Tuesday to lay the foundations of the state’s script-tracking system.

The legislation says the system will be mandatory, with doctors and pharmacists required to check a patient’s history or face fines of up to $2600.

However, exemptions will be included if doctors have a “reasonable excuse”, such as treatment of an injury in an emergency or circumstances where the patient is unlikely to be doctor-shopping, such as pain relief for end-of-life care for terminal cancer.