Australia, Sydney: Elderly residents of Victorian hostels were being put at risk by unqualified staff administering dangerous medications, the nurses' union said.

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) took full-page ads in Melbourne newspapers warning that patients would be at risk under new laws put forward by the state government.

Under the laws, only registered nurses will be allowed to administer drugs to elderly patients in high-care nursing homes.

But at mixed-care facilities and aged-care hostels unqualified staff will be allowed to administer medication to patients.

ANF Victorian secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said there were many chronically-ill patients in mixed-care facilities that required care from registered nurses.

The government's changes to the drugs and poisons legislation allowed unqualified staff to administer dangerous drugs like morphine and insulin, she said.

"We will see an increase, I believe, in the deaths of patients in those low-care facilities," she said.

But Premier Steve Bracks said all the legislation would do was maintain the status quo, while clarifying the definition of a high-care nursing home.

"All we've done is to confirm that in nursing homes a registered nurse only can administer prescription medicine," he said.

"We haven't done anything more but the Australian Nursing Federation, the union, would like us to extend it further."

Prior to 1997, there was a strict demarcation between hostels and high-care nursing homes.

Then the federal government passed the Aged Care Act, allowing facilities to care for a mix of patients.

Since then, personal care workers have been allowed to administer medication at these mixed-care facilities.

Ms Fitzpatrick said the state government's proposed changes would allow high-care facilities to take on a few low-care patients and fire nurses to cut costs.

"If you are a nursing home proprietor you'll be able to admit some low-care residents now so you'll be a mixed facility, won't be classed as high-care and therefore you'll be able to avoid your obligations," she said.