The Physiotherapy Board of Australia regulates the way physiotherapists practise, protecting public safety by ensuring that they meet certain standards and obligations. What you might not know is that these obligations extend to the way physiotherapists advertise their services. 

All practitioners and businesses need to be aware of and meet the requirements in the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law) when advertising a regulated health service, which includes physiotherapy services. 

The best way to find out about your obligations when advertising is to review the resources on the Ahpra website, including Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service (the guidelines). 

But what counts as advertising? And what sort of things are regulated? 

Advertising includes but is not limited to all forms of verbal, printed or electronic communication that promotes a regulated health service provider to attract a person to the provider (practitioner or business). 

A regulated health service is a service provided by, or usually provided by, a health practitioner (as defined in the National Law). 

Any person or business that advertises a regulated health service provider (practitioner or business) will be considered an advertiser. 

You can find more detail on what is and is not considered advertising in the guidelines. Requirements around advertising in the National Law relate to: 

• false, misleading or deceptive advertising
• gifts, discounts or inducements
• testimonials
• advertising that creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment
• encouragement of indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services.

Social media and online advertising 

The National Law and the guidelines also apply to social media advertising. 

The guidelines provide information on what falls within the definition of social media. 

For example, false claims made about the effectiveness of a treatment on a Facebook site that advertises a practitioner or clinic are misleading and considered a breach of section 133 of the National Law. 

Testimonials are also not allowed, whether posted on social media or included in other advertising. 

Testimonials are recommendations or positive statements about the clinical aspects of a regulated health service used in advertising. 

The National Law does not allow the use of testimonials or purported testimonials to advertise regulated health services or a business that provides a regulated health service.

Complaints about advertising 

Ahpra reviews all complaints received about advertising and takes any appropriate action to protect the public. 

Over the past 18 months, Ahpra’s advertising compliance team has managed 49 complaints about physiotherapists related to advertising. 

The majority of the closed cases from 2024 and 2025 were finalised after practitioners cooperated and corrected their advertising. 

All advertising breaches are managed on a case-by-case basis and the action taken is determined by the level of risk and who is in control of the advertising—for example, whether a registered physiotherapist or a corporate entity is in control of the advertising. 

How to get help 

If you are unclear about whether your advertising complies with the requirements, you can seek advice from your: 

• professional association
• insurer
• independent legal adviser. 

Click here for more information and resources about advertising, including the guidelines.