ARTICLE · 24 JANUARY 2025

Health practitioners' obligations when advertising professional services

Hall Payne Lawyers

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Health professionals' obligations when it comes to advertising their services or therapeutic goods.

AustraliaConsumer Protection

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If you are a health professional or run a business that advertises health services, you must not engage in deceptive and misleading conduct. In this blog, we discuss health professionals' obligations when it comes to advertising their services or therapeutic goods with a focus on the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law).

Health practitioners' obligations under the Australian Consumer Law

Section 18 of the ACL prohibits anyone in trade or commerce from engaging in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive.

Trade or commerce includes business or professional activities as well as not-for-profit business or activity. While health practitioners may not always consider that in practising their profession, they engage in 'trade or commerce', they must be aware that providing a professional service or selling a therapeutic good may fall into this

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