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AHPRA Advertising Compliance Checker (Free)
Section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law bans advertising that is false or misleading, uses testimonials, offers gifts or discounts without full terms and conditions, creates unreasonable expectations of benefit, or encourages indiscriminate use. It applies to every AHPRA-registered practitioner and to anyone advertising for them, agencies included. Penalties reach $30,000 per advertisement for an individual and $60,000 for a body corporate.
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Screening aid based on AHPRA's published guidelines. Not legal advice and no substitute for review by AHPRA or a health lawyer. Rules last reviewed September 2026.
The 5 things section 133 prohibits
1. False, misleading or deceptive advertising
Any claim that creates a false impression — superlatives you cannot substantiate, comparative claims about other practices, selective statistics, or credentials framed to imply registration you do not hold.
2. Testimonials about clinical care
Any testimonial or review about the clinical aspects of a regulated health service, in anything you control or solicit. Star ratings, embedded review widgets, patient stories, and staff testimonials all count.
3. Gifts, discounts and inducements without full terms
Offering a gift, discount, voucher, bonus or bundled package without stating the full terms and conditions of the offer in the advertisement itself.
4. Unreasonable expectations of beneficial treatment
Guarantees, promised outcomes, 'cures', absolute safety claims, and imagery that implies an outcome most patients will not get.
5. Encouraging indiscriminate or unnecessary use
Urgency devices, countdowns, 'everyone should', social pressure, and promotions that push a health service as a lifestyle purchase rather than a clinical decision.
Testimonials: what counts and what you can still do
A testimonial is any statement about the clinical aspects of care — how good the treatment was, how the practitioner performed, how the outcome felt. It does not matter whether it is written by a patient, a family member, a staff member or a friend of the practice. If it is in advertising you control, it is a breach.
Reviews can exist on Google. Patients are free to write them, and you are not required to remove them from a third-party platform you do not control. What you cannot do is reproduce them, embed them, screenshot them, quote them in ads, or solicit them. A review widget on your homepage is advertising you control.
Counts as a testimonial
- Embedded Google or Facebook review widgets
- Star ratings and "rated 5 stars" claims in ad copy
- Patient stories and case narratives about outcomes
- Screenshots of reviews reposted to social
- Staff and family testimonials about the clinic's care
- Video patient interviews on your site
Still allowed
- Comments about non-clinical service (parking, reception, wait times)
- Qualifications, fellowships and registration details
- Years in practice and procedure volumes you can evidence
- Educational content about conditions and procedures
- Practitioner bios with verifiable credentials
- Third-party reviews left on Google, untouched by you
The 2023 cosmetic advertising rules in one list
- 01No testimonials or reviews about cosmetic procedures anywhere you control, including social comments you curate.
- 02No prescription-only medicine brand names (S4 medicines) in public advertising — no Botox, no fillers by brand.
- 03No language that trivialises or glamourises surgery, including slang like 'tweakment', 'mummy makeover' or 'baby botox'.
- 04No influencer, ambassador or affiliate promotion of cosmetic procedures.
- 05No buy-now-pay-later or finance promotion attached to cosmetic procedures.
- 06Before-and-after images only with consent, consistent photography, no editing, and a visible variation statement.
- 07Cosmetic surgery advertising must state the mandatory cooling-off period and the referral requirement.
- 08The practitioner's qualifications and registration type must be clear — 'surgeon' is a restricted title.
- 09Risks, recovery and the possibility of revision surgery must not be minimised.
- 10Advertising must not target or appeal to people under 18.
Before-and-after photo checklist
- Written, informed consent on file for every patient image, including consent for the platforms it appears on.
- Identical lighting, camera, angle, distance and patient positioning in both photos.
- Unedited — no filters, retouching, smoothing or cropping that changes the apparent result.
- A prominent 'individual results may vary' statement adjacent to the images, not in a footer.
- A realistic range of outcomes shown, not a curated set of best-case results.
- The procedure performed and the treating practitioner named beside the images.
Words to swap
| Prohibited or risky | Safer alternative |
|---|---|
| Best dentist in Melbourne | Registered dentist practising in Melbourne since 2009 |
| #1 clinic / leading clinic | Clinic performing 400+ procedures a year |
| Award-winning team | Team of three AHPRA-registered practitioners |
| Painless treatment | Comfort-focused care with pain management options discussed |
| 100% safe, no side effects | Risks and side effects discussed at consultation |
| Guaranteed results | Results vary between patients |
| Permanent results | Typical duration of results, based on published evidence |
| Specialist implant dentist (no specialist registration) | General dentist with a special interest in implants |
| Cosmetic surgeon | Medical practitioner performing cosmetic procedures / Specialist Plastic Surgeon, FRACS |
| Botox / Juvederm | Anti-wrinkle injections / dermal fillers |
| FREE consult this month only | Initial consultation fee: $X, standard availability |
| 20% off, limited spots | Fee schedule published on our pricing page |
| 5-star rated by our patients | AHPRA registration number and qualifications listed |
| Clinically proven to cure | Evidence from [cited study] indicates it may help manage |
| Lunchtime treatment, no downtime | Procedure takes 30 minutes; recovery varies between patients |
How we run AHPRA-compliant campaigns for healthcare clients
Every asset we publish for a healthcare client is screened before it goes live: landing page copy, ad headlines, meta descriptions, social captions and image treatments. Compliance is a step in the workflow, not a review that happens after a complaint. That is how we grow patient enquiries without putting a practitioner's registration at risk. Start with our medical SEO agency overview, or the specialty pages: dentists, cosmetic surgeons, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, med spas, vein clinics, fertility clinics, chiropractors, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, audiologists, cardiologists and orthopaedic surgeons.
AHPRA advertising FAQs
Can I show Google reviews on my website?
No. Reviews can exist on Google — patients are free to write them and you are not required to take them down. What you cannot do is reproduce, embed, screenshot or solicit reviews about clinical care in your own advertising. That includes review widgets, star ratings in ad copy, and 'read our 5-star reviews' calls to action.
Can I say 'specialist'?
Only if you hold specialist registration in a recognised specialty, and only in relation to that specialty. 'Specialist' is a protected title under the National Law. If you do not hold it, use 'general dentist with a special interest in implants' or an equivalent factual description.
Can I advertise Botox?
No. Botox is a Schedule 4 prescription-only medicine and S4 medicines cannot be advertised to the public under the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code. The same applies to filler brand names and prescription weight-management medicines. Use 'anti-wrinkle injections' and 'dermal fillers' instead.
Can I offer a discount?
Only if the full terms and conditions of the offer appear in the advertisement itself — what is included, who is eligible, when it ends, and what is excluded. A link to terms on another page does not satisfy section 133(1)(b). For cosmetic procedures, discounting is treated far more harshly under the 2023 guidelines.
Are before-and-after photos allowed?
Yes, under strict conditions: written consent, identical photographic conditions, no editing or filters, a prominent statement that individual results vary, a realistic range of outcomes rather than best-case selections, and identification of the procedure and practitioner.
Does this apply to my marketing agency?
Yes. Section 133 applies to any person who advertises a regulated health service, not only registered practitioners. Your agency, your web developer and your social media manager can all be prosecuted, and AHPRA has pursued non-practitioner advertisers. The practice still carries the registration risk.
What are the penalties?
Up to $30,000 per advertisement for an individual and up to $60,000 for a body corporate, plus separate disciplinary action against the practitioner's registration. Most matters begin with a direction to remove the advertising, but repeat or serious breaches escalate.
Is this tool legal advice?
No. It is a keyword and pattern screening aid built from AHPRA's published guidelines. It cannot assess images, context, evidence you hold, or your registration status. Treat a clean result as 'no obvious keyword issues', never as clearance, and have high-risk campaigns reviewed by a health lawyer.
Sources
- AHPRA — Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service
- AHPRA — Advertising resources hub
- AHPRA — Cosmetic surgery advertising guidelines (2023)
- TGA — Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code
Written by Sara Smith, reviewed by Lucas Durante. Rules last reviewed September 2026. This tool is a screening aid, not legal advice.