Every registered health practitioner in Australia who advertises a regulated health service must follow the advertising rules in the National Law. That includes your website, Google Business Profile, ads, social media and printed material.
This page is a practical summary for Perth clinics. It is general information only, and it does not replace the guidelines themselves or legal advice.
It sits alongside our health and dental marketing page and our health and dental marketing guide.
Where the rules come from
Section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law sets out what advertising must not do. WA applies the National Law through its own state legislation.
Ahpra and the National Boards publish guidelines for advertising a regulated health service, which explain how they apply the law. The Australian Consumer Law, the Privacy Act and, for medicines and devices, the TGA’s advertising rules also apply.
The rules apply to the practitioner and to anyone who advertises on their behalf, including practice owners who are not registered and the agencies they use.
What the rules cover
Misleading claims
Advertising must not be false, misleading or deceptive. Claims about what a treatment can do should be supported by acceptable evidence.
Avoid words that suggest certainty, such as “guaranteed”, “safe and painless” or “permanent results”. Avoid creating an unreasonable expectation that a treatment will help.
Testimonials
You must not use testimonials or purported testimonials about the service in your advertising. This mainly covers comments about clinical care, symptoms or outcomes.
Comments about non-clinical matters, such as friendly staff, easy parking or short wait times, are generally treated differently. Check the current guidance on where that line sits.
Ahpra’s guidance says you are not responsible for removing unsolicited reviews on websites you do not control. You should not copy, share or quote clinical reviews in your own advertising.
Before and after images
Before and after images are not banned outright, but they must not be misleading. Lighting, angle, pose, clothing and make-up should be consistent, and images should not be edited.
Show typical results as well as the best cases. Cosmetic procedures have stricter requirements, covered below.
Gifts, discounts and offers
An offer must state its terms and conditions clearly. Offers must also not encourage people to use health services they do not need.
Time-limited deals on treatments, “bring a friend” offers and gift vouchers need particular care.
Titles such as “specialist”
“Specialist” is a protected title for practitioners with specialist registration in medicine, dentistry and podiatric surgery. A general dentist cannot call themselves an orthodontic specialist.
Phrases like “special interest in” can be acceptable when accurate, but should not imply specialist registration. Since late 2023, the title “surgeon” has also been restricted to medical practitioners with certain specialist registration. Check the current rules for your profession.
Cosmetic procedures
The Medical Board has specific guidelines for practitioners who advertise cosmetic surgery. In broad terms, they restrict the use of influencers and brand ambassadors, ban sexualised imagery, and prohibit advertising that targets people under 18.
Separate guidelines for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as injectables, took effect in September 2025 for medical practitioners, nurses and dentists. The TGA also restricts how prescription-only medicines, including some cosmetic injectables, can be referred to in advertising.
If your practice offers any cosmetic work, read the current guidelines in full.
Social media
The rules apply to social media in the same way as any other advertising. You are responsible for content you post and for content on pages you control.
Sharing or liking a patient’s post about their treatment can count as using a testimonial. Paid influencer content is also advertising.
Checklist: your website
- No patient testimonials about clinical care, including on service pages and in sliders
- No embedded review widgets that display clinical reviews
- Treatment claims are accurate and supported by evidence
- No words implying guaranteed outcomes
- Before and after images, if used, are consistent, unedited and representative
- Offers state their full terms and conditions
- “Specialist” used only for practitioners with specialist registration
- Practitioner profiles show accurate qualifications and registration type
- Risks and recovery described honestly for any procedure
- Health information from forms is not sent to advertising platforms
Checklist: Google Business Profile
- Business name matches your real trading name, with no keywords added
- Services and descriptions use the same careful wording as the website
- Posts and offers follow the same rules as any other advertising
- Review replies do not confirm someone is a patient or discuss their care
- Review requests do not offer any reward or incentive
Checklist: ads
- No testimonials, star ratings drawn from clinical reviews, or outcome promises
- No mention of prescription-only medicines by name
- Offers in ads include clear terms, or link to them
- Landing pages meet the same standard as the ad
- Remarketing does not rely on lists built from health-related pages
- Google’s current healthcare policies checked for your services
Our Google Ads for health and dental practices page covers ad settings in more detail.
Checklist: social media
- No sharing, reposting or liking of patient posts about treatment outcomes
- Comments on your page monitored, and clinical testimonials removed where you control the page
- Before and after posts meet the same standard as the website
- No influencer or ambassador posts for cosmetic procedures
- Paid and boosted posts reviewed against the guidelines first
Our social media marketing work for clinics follows these points.
Check the current guidelines
The Ahpra and National Board guidelines, the cosmetic guidelines and the TGA rules are updated from time to time. Ahpra’s website has an advertising hub with the current guidelines, examples and a self-assessment tool.
Review your advertising at least once a year, and whenever the guidelines change. If you are unsure whether something is acceptable, seek advice from your professional association, your indemnity insurer or a health lawyer before you publish it.
If you’d like help reviewing your website, profile or ads against these rules, SLINKY has worked with Perth businesses since 1998. You’ll deal directly with senior people, with no lock-in contracts. Get in touch.
