AHPRA Advertising Guidelines for Medical Practices: 2026 Plain-English Guide

Last updated: 5 May 2026 · 9 min read

If you run a clinic in Australia, your website, social media, Google profile, and email marketing are all advertising in the eyes of AHPRA — and most practices are breaking at least one rule without realising it.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has tightened advertising enforcement over the past two years, with the most significant shake-up arriving in September 2025: a new set of guidelines for cosmetic procedure advertising, an outright ban on influencer testimonials in that space, and a clear signal that AHPRA is willing to act when clinics put profits ahead of patient safety.

For GPs, dentists, allied health professionals, cosmetic clinics, and the practice managers who run them, that creates a real problem: the rules are scattered across multiple documents, written in legal language, and changing year on year.

This guide cuts through it. We've translated AHPRA's advertising guidelines into plain English, focused on the areas clinics most often get wrong, and added practical examples of what's compliant and what isn't.

Key takeaways (TL;DR)

• AHPRA's advertising rules apply to every registered health practitioner in Australia — across 16 regulated professions, from GPs to psychologists to dentists.
• "Advertising" is broader than you think. Your website, social posts, Google Ads, brochures, email newsletters, and even your influencer partnerships all count.
• Testimonials about clinical care are banned under Section 133 of the National Law — this includes Google reviews you display on your site.
• Before-and-after photos are tightly restricted, especially for cosmetic procedures, and must not be airbrushed, filtered, or misleading.
• New cosmetic advertising rules came into effect on 2 September 2025, including bans on influencer testimonials and advertising to under-18s.
• Penalties can reach $30,000 per breach for individuals and $60,000 for businesses, plus referral to your professional board.
• A simple compliance test: Is the claim truthful, supported by evidence, free of testimonials, and unlikely to mislead? If yes to all four, you're on the right track.

A quick note before we start: This guide is general information for healthcare practitioners and the marketing teams who support them. It is not legal advice. For specific compliance questions, refer to AHPRA's official guidelines or seek qualified legal counsel.

Why AHPRA compliance has become a bigger deal in 2026

If you've been running your clinic the same way for the last five years, here's the uncomfortable truth: the rules around health service advertising have shifted significantly, and AHPRA's appetite for enforcement has grown alongside them.

Three forces are reshaping the compliance landscape right now.

1. The 2025 cosmetic procedure crackdown

On 2 September 2025, AHPRA's new guidelines for non-surgical cosmetic procedure advertising came into effect — the most significant overhaul in years. The changes weren't subtle. They included an outright ban on testimonials from social media influencers, prohibitions on advertising cosmetic procedures to anyone under 18, mandatory "results may vary" warnings on before-and-after photos, and a hard line against airbrushing or digitally enhancing images.

AHPRA's CEO Justin Untersteiner described the changes as being about "putting patients before profits" and warned that practitioners had been given months to prepare. The message to the industry was clear: enforcement is coming.

2. Active complaint monitoring across all professions

The cosmetic crackdown gets the headlines, but compliance pressure has tightened across every regulated profession — physiotherapists, psychologists, dentists, GPs, allied health, the lot. AHPRA's advertising compliance team now actively reviews complaints and runs proactive monitoring sweeps. In a recent 18-month window, AHPRA's compliance team alone managed dozens of advertising complaints in physiotherapy. Most were resolved when practitioners cooperated and corrected their advertising — but the cases still went on record.

3. More change coming in mid-2026

The regulatory tightening isn't slowing down. The revised Criminal History Registration Standard takes effect on 15 July 2026, alongside ongoing reviews of how AI-generated content, social media disclosures, and review platforms intersect with advertising rules.

In short: the rules are becoming stricter, the regulator is more active, and waiting until you receive a complaint to think about compliance is no longer a viable strategy.

What this means for your practice

You don't need to panic — but you do need to know where you stand. Most compliance breaches happen quietly: a five-star Google review pinned to your homepage, a glowing patient story in a Facebook caption, a "guaranteed pain-free" tagline on a service page. These rarely come from bad intent. They come from not knowing the rules have changed.

The rest of this guide walks you through what those rules actually say, in plain English, so you can audit your own marketing without needing a law degree.

What is AHPRA, and does it apply to you?

What AHPRA is

AHPRA — the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency — is the national body that, together with the 15 National Boards, regulates registered health practitioners across Australia. It works under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, the legislation that sets the legal framework for who can practise, how they must practise, and what they're allowed to say when promoting their services.

In plain terms: AHPRA is the organisation that holds your registration, sets your professional obligations, and investigates complaints — including complaints about your advertising.

Who AHPRA's advertising rules apply to

The advertising requirements in the National Law apply to any person or business that advertises a regulated health service. That's a deliberately broad definition, and it catches more people than most clinics realise.

You fall under AHPRA's advertising rules if you are:

• A registered health practitioner advertising your own services
• A clinic, business, or company providing regulated health services
• A practice manager or marketing team running campaigns for a clinic
• A third-party agency, freelancer, or consultant producing marketing for a healthcare provider
• An influencer or content creator promoting a regulated health service

The point worth understanding: liability isn't limited to the practitioner whose name is on the ad. Clinic owners, marketing managers, and external agencies can all be held accountable for non-compliant advertising.

The 16 regulated professions

AHPRA regulates 16 health professions through their respective National Boards. If your practice falls under any of these, the advertising rules apply to you:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice
• Chinese Medicine
• Chiropractic
• Dental (dentists, hygienists, therapists, prosthetists)
• Medical (GPs, specialists, surgeons)
• Medical Radiation Practice
• Midwifery
• Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Osteopathy
• Paramedicine
• Pharmacy
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Psychology

If you're outside this list — for example, you provide unregulated wellness or coaching services — AHPRA's advertising rules don't apply to you. But you may still be subject to other regulators, including the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for therapeutic claims and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for misleading advertising under Australian Consumer Law.

AHPRA vs the TGA — what's the difference?

This is one of the most common points of confusion, so it's worth clearing up early.

In practice, many clinics need to comply with both — for example, a cosmetic clinic advertising injectable treatments has obligations under AHPRA (as practitioners advertising a regulated health service) and under the TGA (because Schedule 4 prescription medicines are involved).

The takeaway

If you hold AHPRA registration, the advertising rules apply to you. If you run a clinic that employs registered practitioners, they apply to your business. And if you produce marketing on behalf of a healthcare client, they apply to your work too.

The next question — and the one most clinics get wrong — is what AHPRA actually counts as "advertising" in the first place.

What counts as "advertising" under AHPRA rules?

Most clinic owners hear the word "advertising" and picture a Google Ad or a billboard. AHPRA's definition is much wider — and that's where most compliance breaches start.

Under the National Law, advertising includes any verbal, printed, or electronic communication that promotes a regulated health service to attract people to a practitioner or business. If it's designed to bring patients in, it counts.

The full scope of what AHPRA considers advertising

Here's the practical list — every channel below falls under AHPRA's advertising rules:

• Your clinic website and every page on it (service pages, about pages, blog posts, landing pages)
• Google Business Profile listings, including descriptions and images
• Google Ads and any paid search campaigns
• Social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and X
• Paid social ads and boosted posts
• Email marketing and newsletters
• Brochures, flyers, posters, and signage
• Printed directories and listings (Yellow Pages, local guides)
• Radio, TV, and podcast advertising
• Influencer partnerships and sponsored content
• Press releases and PR coverage that promotes services
• Patient information materials that promote specific treatments
• Trade show stands, expo booths, and event sponsorships
• Comments and replies you post on third-party platforms (your own social comments, your own review responses)
• Video content, including reels, shorts, and webinars
• SMS marketing and direct messaging campaigns

If a member of the public sees it and it's promoting your service, treat it as advertising.

What's not considered advertising

A few things sit outside the rules — but the boundaries are narrower than you might hope:

• Genuine clinical communication with an existing patient (consent forms, treatment plans, follow-up letters)
• Editorial content written by an independent journalist about your practice (provided you didn't pay for it or supply the copy)
• Unsolicited reviews posted by patients on third-party platforms you don't control (Google Maps, Healthengine) — though displaying or quoting these reviews on your own website does turn them into advertising
• Internal staff communications and clinical training materials

The grey area, and where many clinics slip up, is content you didn't create but choose to amplify. A patient writes a glowing Google review. You screenshot it and post it on Instagram. The moment you do that, you've turned a third-party comment into an advertisement — and now AHPRA's testimonial rules apply.

Three blind spots most clinics miss

In our experience working with healthcare clients across Australia, three areas catch practices out repeatedly.

1. Social media comments and replies on your own posts. You're responsible for what appears on platforms you control. If a patient comments "Dr Smith fixed my back pain in two visits — life-changing!" on your Facebook page, that comment is now part of your advertising. You're expected to moderate it.

2. Influencer and creator partnerships. Paid or gifted partnerships are advertising, full stop. If an influencer mentions your clinic in exchange for a free treatment, your clinic is the advertiser — and you're responsible for whether that content is compliant. Influencer testimonials about cosmetic procedures are now banned outright.

3. Your Google Business Profile. The description you write, the categories you choose, the photos you upload, and the way you respond to reviews all count as advertising. Many clinics treat GBP as a passive listing. AHPRA treats it as active promotion.

A simple test

If you're not sure whether something is "advertising" under AHPRA's rules, ask:

Is this communication designed to promote my service or attract patients to my practice — and is it visible to the public?

If the answer is yes, the rules apply. Treat it accordingly.

The 7 core AHPRA advertising rules (plain English)

AHPRA's Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service run to dozens of pages. Strip away the legal language and the rules come down to seven core principles. Get these right and you'll avoid the vast majority of compliance breaches.

Rule 1: Don't be misleading or deceptive

What the rule says: Advertising must not be false, misleading, or deceptive — or likely to be.

In plain English: Everything you publish has to be truthful and supported by evidence. This isn't just about outright false claims; it includes selectively quoting research, omitting important context, exaggerating qualifications, or using language that creates a false impression even if technically accurate.

Common slip-ups:

• Claiming "the latest technology" when the equipment is industry-standard
• Calling yourself a "specialist" when you don't hold a recognised specialty title
• Implying outcomes are typical when they're best-case
• Using outdated qualifications or expired credentials

Rule 2: Don't offer gifts, discounts, or inducements without clearly stating the terms

What the rule says: Any offer of a gift, discount, or other inducement must include the terms and conditions in the same advertisement.

In plain English: "Free consultation" and "$50 off your first visit" are allowed — but only if you tell people the conditions in the same ad. You can't bury the terms in fine print on another page.

Common slip-ups:

• "Free skin consultation" with no mention of the conditions
• Time-limited offers without an end date
• "First 10 patients only" with no clear cut-off
• Discount campaigns without disclosing exclusions

Rule 3: Don't use testimonials about clinical care

What the rule says: Section 133 of the National Law prohibits the use of testimonials in advertising a regulated health service.

In plain English: You cannot use patient statements about their experience of clinical care in your advertising. This includes quotes, video reviews, written stories, and star ratings about treatment outcomes — whether they appear on your own website, your social media, or are embedded from elsewhere.

Common slip-ups:

• Pinning Google reviews to your homepage
• Sharing patient thank-you messages on Instagram
• Embedding star-rating widgets that pull in clinical reviews
• Using video testimonials in paid ads

Rule 4: Don't create unrealistic expectations

What the rule says: Advertising must not create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment.

In plain English: You can describe what your service does, but you can't promise outcomes that won't apply to most patients. Words like "guaranteed", "permanent results", "100% success rate", "pain-free", and "miracle" are red flags.

Common slip-ups:

• "Guaranteed weight loss"
• "Permanent hair removal"
• "Pain-free dental procedures"
• "Cure your back pain in one session"

Rule 5: Don't encourage unnecessary use of health services

What the rule says: Advertising must not encourage the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services.

In plain English: Don't push people toward treatments they don't need. This rule targets fear-based marketing, urgency tactics that pressure decisions, and campaigns that push elective procedures on people without clinical justification.

Common slip-ups:

• "Don't wait — book your scan today before something serious develops"
• Countdown timers on cosmetic treatment offers
• "Limited spots — book now" pressure tactics on non-urgent services
• Fear-based marketing implying untreated conditions will worsen without your service

Rule 6: Substantiate every claim you make

What the rule says: Advertising must only include claims that the advertiser is able to substantiate with acceptable evidence.

In plain English: If you claim it, you have to be able to prove it. AHPRA assesses evidence using the same standards as the wider scientific community — anecdotes, in-house results, and individual patient outcomes are not enough. Use primary, peer-reviewed sources where possible.

Common slip-ups:

• "Clinically proven" without naming the study
• "95% of patients see results" without published data
• "Australia's leading clinic" with no objective basis
• "Used by elite athletes" without verifiable evidence

Rule 7: Don't advertise prescription medicines to the public

What the rule says: Advertising of Schedule 4 (prescription-only) and Schedule 8 medicines to the public is prohibited under joint AHPRA and TGA rules.

In plain English: You can't name prescription medicines in any public-facing advertising. This includes injectables, prescription weight-loss drugs, controlled medications, and any Schedule 4 or 8 product. You can describe the category of treatment (for example, "anti-wrinkle injections") but not the brand or active ingredient.

Common slip-ups:

• Naming popular cosmetic injectable brands in social posts
• Listing prescription weight-loss medications by name
• Promotional content that names ADHD medications, sleep aids, or other Schedule 4 drugs
• Influencer posts that mention specific prescription products

The 4-question compliance test

Before you publish anything, run it through these questions. If you can answer "yes" to all four, you're on solid ground:

1. Is it truthful? Can every claim be backed up with evidence?
2. Is it free of testimonials? No patient stories or reviews about clinical care?
3. Could it mislead a reasonable person? Does the overall impression match reality?
4. Does it avoid creating unrealistic expectations? No guarantees or promises of outcome?

This test won't catch every nuance — but it will flag the breaches that account for the vast majority of AHPRA complaints.

Testimonials, reviews, and the rule that confuses almost everyone

If there's one section of AHPRA's guidelines that trips up more clinics than any other, it's the rule on testimonials. Almost every practice we work with has questions about it — and most discover they're getting at least one part of it wrong.

Here's what you actually need to know.

The rule, stripped right back

Section 133 of the National Law prohibits the use of testimonials in advertising a regulated health service.

A testimonial, in AHPRA's definition, is a recommendation or positive statement about the clinical aspects of care — things like treatment outcomes, the quality of clinical work, or the effectiveness of a procedure.

That's the whole rule. The complications come from where testimonials show up in real life.

What counts as a testimonial (and what doesn't)

The dividing line: if the comment is about the treatment, the outcome, or the practitioner's clinical skill, it's a testimonial and you can't use it in advertising. If it's about the experience of visiting the clinic — parking, staff friendliness, billing, accessibility, communication — it's generally permitted.

In practice, most patient reviews mix both. That's where the difficulty starts.

What you can and can't do with Google reviews

You can:

• Allow patients to post reviews on Google, Healthengine, and other independent platforms. AHPRA does not require you to police what patients say on platforms outside your control.
• Maintain your Google Business Profile and respond professionally to reviews.
• Use overall ratings on third-party platforms — provided you're not selecting and displaying clinical reviews on your own channels.

You can't:

• Embed, screenshot, quote, or otherwise display clinical-care reviews on your own website, social media, ads, or marketing materials.
• Pin a five-star review to the top of your homepage.
• Run "review of the week" social posts featuring patient stories about treatment.
• Use review-aggregator widgets that pull clinical comments into your site.
• Solicit reviews about clinical aspects of care, even if the patient offers willingly.

The grey area:

• A Google review that says "Lovely staff, easy parking, would visit again" with no clinical comment is generally fine to share.
• A Google review that says "The treatment was incredible — completely fixed my migraines" cannot be used in your advertising, even if the patient sent it directly to you.

The "responding to reviews" trap

Risky: "So glad we could fix your back pain so quickly! Come back any time." — This response confirms a clinical outcome.

Safer: "Thanks for the kind feedback — we're glad you had a good experience with our team."

Rule of thumb: respond warmly, but don't repeat or validate clinical claims in your reply.

What about testimonials on social media?

Same rules, more visibility. A patient story posted as a Reel, a screenshot of a thank-you DM shared as an Instagram Story, or a tagged post praising clinical results — all count as testimonials when they appear on a platform you control. Once you share, repost, or feature the content, it becomes part of your advertising.

The 2025 cosmetic procedure guidelines went further: influencer testimonials about cosmetic procedures are now banned outright, including paid partnerships, gifted treatments, and content posted by creators you've collaborated with.

What you can do instead

Compliant alternatives that work well for clinics:

• Case studies, presented factually without patient quotes about clinical outcomes, focusing on the condition treated, the approach taken, and (where evidence supports it) the typical results.
• Practitioner credentials and qualifications — training, registrations, areas of focus, and continuing education.
• Service explainers that describe what a treatment involves, who it's suitable for, and what to expect.
• Operational reviews from patients about the experience of visiting your clinic — wait times, communication, facilities, billing.
• Educational content that demonstrates expertise without making promises about outcomes.

A quick audit you can do today

Open your website and check:

• Homepage — any pinned reviews or quote sliders featuring clinical statements?
• Service pages — any patient quotes or testimonial blocks?
• About page — any reviews praising treatment outcomes?
• Footer — any review widgets pulling in clinical comments?
• Social media — any pinned posts or highlights featuring patient stories?
• Google Business Profile responses — do any replies confirm clinical outcomes?

If you've ticked any of those, that's where to start your clean-up.

Before & after photos: what's allowed and what isn't

Before-and-after images are one of the most powerful visual tools in healthcare marketing — and one of the most heavily restricted. AHPRA hasn't banned them outright, but the rules around how they're used have tightened sharply, especially for cosmetic procedures.

The core requirements

For before-and-after images to be compliant, they must:

• Show real, unedited images of actual patients with their informed consent
• Be taken under consistent conditions — the same lighting, angle, distance, background, and pose
• Avoid any digital enhancement that could mislead the viewer (no airbrushing, filtering, smoothing, colour adjustment, or AI-generated improvement)
• Not cherry-pick unrepresentative results — outcomes shown must reflect what's typical, not best-case
• Be accompanied by clear context, including the procedure, the timeframe, and any limitations

The 2025 update for cosmetic procedures

For higher-risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures, AHPRA's September 2025 guidelines added specific requirements:

• A mandatory "results may vary for other patients" warning on every advertisement using before-and-after images
• A strict ban on airbrushing or editing that could mislead the public
• Real images only — no stock photography, no AI-generated visuals, no composite or representative images presented as real outcomes

Common compliance failures

• Different lighting between before and after shots
• Makeup or styling changes between the two photos
• Filters or smoothing applied to the "after" image
• Photos taken from slightly different angles or distances
• Cropped images that hide context
• Stock images used as illustrative "examples"
• AI-enhanced or AI-generated outcome visuals

Consent and privacy

Patient consent must be informed, documented in writing (withdrawable any time), and specific — separate consent for website use, social media, paid ads, and printed materials.

Safer alternatives

• Process imagery showing what a treatment involves
• Diagrams and illustrations explaining the technique
• Practitioner credential visuals — qualifications, equipment, clinical environment
• Educational content without relying on outcome photos

Cosmetic procedure advertising: the stricter 2025 rulebook

If your practice performs non-surgical cosmetic procedures — injectables, fillers, thread lifts, energy-based treatments, certain laser and skin therapies — you operate under additional rules introduced on 2 September 2025. These sit on top of the general advertising guidelines.

What changed in September 2025

Six significant changes in the advertising guidelines for higher-risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures:

1. Complete ban on influencer testimonials — paid partnerships, gifted treatments, affiliate arrangements, sponsored influencer content.
2. No advertising to under-18s — ad targeting must exclude minors; creative must not appeal primarily to younger audiences; adult-content flags where platforms allow.
3. Mandatory cooling-off referenced for limited under-18 circumstances — seven days between first consultation and procedure where applicable.
4. Real, unedited images only — consistent conditions; "results may vary for other patients" disclaimer.
5. No trivialising or sexualising the procedure — casual/party framing, sexualised imagery, language that downplays risk.
6. Mandatory complaint mechanism disclosure — patients informed of AHPRA and other complaint avenues before procedures.

What cosmetic clinics should do now

• Audit campaigns — pause or remove influencer-led content where required
• Re-cut creative that targets or appeals to under-18 audiences
• Update before-and-after libraries for image standards
• Review copy for trivialising or sexualised language
• Update consent and patient information for complaint disclosures
• Train social and PR teams on the influencer ban

Compliant vs non-compliant: real examples

Service descriptions

Treatment outcomes

Reviews and testimonials

Social media

Promotional offers

Urgency tactics

Before-and-after images

Non-compliant: Different lighting, makeup, angle, retouching.

Compliant: Identical conditions, no editing, procedure name, timeframe, "results may vary for other patients".

What happens if you breach AHPRA's advertising rules

Many complaints resolve when practitioners cooperate and correct advertising. Consequences can escalate for serious, repeated, or ignored breaches.

How the process usually starts

• A public complaint
• AHPRA monitoring sweeps
• Referral from another regulator (e.g. TGA, state health complaints)

The escalation ladder

Financial penalties

Penalties of up to $30,000 per breach (individuals) and $60,000 per breach (corporations) are often cited, per offence — repeated exposure across platforms can compound risk.

Professional risk

• Conditions on registration
• Suspension or cancellation
• Public register listings
• Reputational and insurance implications

Who is liable?

Practitioners, clinics, owners/directors, marketing agencies/freelancers, and influencers can all be in scope. Outsourcing marketing does not outsource your responsibility to ensure compliance.

Why cooperation matters

Good-faith correction usually lands far better than delay or dispute.

The PMGS quick compliance checklist

Use this to audit current marketing in under 30 minutes. Tick only if you're confident.

Website

• No clinical testimonials, quotes, or video reviews
• No pinned Google reviews, embedded clinical review widgets, or star ratings tied to outcomes
• No guaranteed-outcome language ("guaranteed", "permanent", "100%", "pain-free", "miracle")
• No unsubstantiated superiority claims ("best", "leading", "#1")
• No Schedule 4/8 medicine names in public-facing copy
• Before/afters: real patients, consent, consistent conditions, no misleading edits
• Claims substantiated with acceptable evidence
• Registration details accurate and current
• Offers include terms in the same advertisement
• Disclaimers visible — not buried

Social media

• No clinical testimonials or screenshots of DMs/reviews used as posts
• No influencer cosmetic testimonials (post–Sept 2025 rules)
• Comments moderated; clinical praise hidden or removed where needed
• Cosmetic targeting excludes under-18s where applicable
• No fear/countdown pressure tactics on non-urgent care
• No prescription medicine naming

Google Business Profile & reviews

• Description factual — no empty superlatives
• Review replies don't confirm clinical outcomes
• Categories accurate
• Not soliciting reviews focused on clinical care
• Photos appropriate for regulated services

Paid advertising

• Copy passes the four-question test
• Cosmetic audiences exclude minors where required
• Offers include conditions in the ad
• Landing pages match ad compliance standards

Cosmetic procedures (if applicable)

• "Results may vary for other patients" on qualifying imagery
• Influencer content audited/removed where banned
• Adult-content flags where supported
• Complaint mechanisms disclosed to patients
• Tone not trivialising or sexualised

AHPRA advertising guidelines: FAQ

What are the AHPRA advertising guidelines?

Rules under the National Law (including Section 133) for how registered practitioners and regulated health businesses may advertise in Australia — across 16 professions.

Do AHPRA's rules apply to my Google reviews?

You generally don't control independent third-party posts. You cannot display, embed, screenshot, or quote clinical-care reviews on your channels. Operational comments (parking, wait times, friendliness) are usually lower risk.

Are testimonials banned for psychologists?

Yes. Section 133 applies across regulated professions, including psychology.

What are the cosmetic advertising guidelines?

Additional rules for higher-risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures in effect from 2 September 2025: influencer testimonial ban, no ads to under-18s, unedited real before/afters with "results may vary", no trivialising/sexualised creative.

What's the difference between AHPRA and the TGA?

AHPRA: practitioners and regulated services. TGA: therapeutic goods (medicines, devices). Many clinics need both.

Can I use before-and-after photos on my dental website?

Yes only if real patients, informed consent, consistent capture conditions, no misleading edits, not cherry-picked — plus cosmetic-specific rules where they apply.

How do I complain about misleading healthcare advertising?

Via AHPRA's advertising complaint channels (Advertising hub), and other regulators (TGA, ACCC, state commissioners) where relevant.

What are the penalties?

Fines up to $30k / $60k per breach are cited at federal level; board sanctions and reputational harm often matter more long-term.

Does my marketing agency need to know AHPRA rules?

Yes. Agencies producing ads are part of the compliance chain; liability may extend to them — but not away from the practitioner or clinic.

Can I say I'm a "specialist"?

Only with a recognised specialty title under the National Law. Otherwise describe training and scope without implying specialist registration.

How compliant marketing drives results

Compliance and growth aren't opposites. Clear, educational, evidence-aligned marketing often outperforms testimonial-heavy or hype-led campaigns long-term.

A Melbourne GP clinic worked with PMGS to audit channels, replace risky testimonial use with compliant educational pages, improve local SEO, and rebuild Google Ads around compliant copy and landing pages — materially growing online bookings within six months while tightening alignment with AHPRA expectations.

Read the write-up: Greater Geelong Medical Centre Google Ads case study.

How PMGS helps healthcare clinics market compliantly

We treat AHPRA-aware compliance as the baseline for healthcare marketing:

• Website, social, and paid campaign compliance audits
• Healthcare SEO emphasising education over prohibited testimonials
• Google Ads with compliant copy, exclusions, and landing pages
• Local SEO and Google Business Profile work within advertising rules
• Content and social workflows with moderation and review

→ Healthcare industry marketing — explore how we support clinics.

Where to start: your 30-day action plan

1. Week 1 — Audit: Run the checklist above across website, social, GBP, and ads.
2. Week 2 — Remove: Take down clear breaches (clinical testimonials, Rx naming, misleading before/afters, guarantee language).
3. Week 3 — Replace: Credentials, educational service pages, factual case-style content (without prohibited quotes), operational feedback themes.
4. Week 4 — Embed: Simple compliance sign-off before anything goes live.

→ Contact PMGS for a healthcare marketing audit.

Related reading

• The power of combining SEO, social media, and paid advertising

Disclaimer: This guide provides general information about AHPRA's advertising guidelines and is current as of May 2026. It is not legal advice. For practice-specific questions, see AHPRA's official materials at ahpra.gov.au or consult an Australian legal professional. Regulations change — verify at the source.

Sources and further reading

• AHPRA — Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service (Advertising hub)
• AHPRA — Guidelines for practitioners who advertise higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures (in effect 2 September 2025)
• AHPRA — Summary of advertising requirements (Advertising hub)
• Health Practitioner Regulation National Law — Section 133 (testimonials)
• TGA — Therapeutic goods advertising

Reading time: ~9 minutes · Last updated: 5 May 2026