AHPRA · Testimonials
AHPRA testimonial and review rules for clinics
The ban is narrower than most clinics think. Only clinical praise is off-limits.
AHPRA bans testimonials about the clinical aspects of care: the reason for treatment, the treatment itself, or the outcome and skill of the practitioner. Non-clinical feedback is allowed. And the breach is in interacting with clinical praise, not just posting your own. This is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 14 June 2026.
What’s banned, and what isn’t
A banned testimonial is a positive statement about the clinical side. “She fixed my jawline and the results are amazing” is a testimonial. So is anything about why someone needed treatment, the treatment they had, or how skilled the practitioner was.
What you can use is feedback about the non-clinical experience. “The team explained everything and booking was simple” is fine. A clean clinic, a friendly reception, clear communication, an easy process. None of that is a testimonial. The line is clinical versus non-clinical, not positive versus neutral.
The interaction trap
This is where careful clinics still get caught. You “use” a testimonial by publishing, sharing, linking to, or interacting with it. Re-sharing a patient’s clinical praise to your Story. Liking or replying to a glowing clinical Google review. Screenshotting one for your feed.
You are not responsible for what a patient posts on a platform you don’t control. A 5-star clinical review someone leaves on Google on their own isn’t your breach. It becomes one the moment you touch it. AHPRA recommends disabling reviews, comments and tagging on the pages you control to keep that line clean.
Where the real risk sits
The ban lives in section 133 of the National Law, alongside four other prohibitions: misleading advertising, inducements without terms, creating unreasonable expectations, and encouraging unnecessary use. AHPRA focuses its enforcement on testimonials that also break another of those limbs. A clinical review you’ve interacted with that also overstates results is exactly the kind of thing that draws action.
The penalties are current and steep: up to $60,000 per offence for an individual and $120,000 for a company, not the old $5,000 or $10,000 figures still quoted on older blogs. A breach can also be treated as unsatisfactory professional conduct, which puts registration at risk.
Common questions
Does AHPRA ban all reviews and testimonials?
No. The ban only covers the clinical side: a recommendation or positive statement about the reason for treatment, the treatment itself, or the outcome and skill of the practitioner. Feedback about the non-clinical experience, like a clean clinic, friendly reception, easy booking or clear communication, is not a testimonial and is allowed. Most clinics over-restrict and bin every review. You don’t have to.
A patient left a 5-star Google review about their results. Is that my problem?
Not the review itself. You don’t control Google, and you’re not responsible for what patients post on platforms you don’t control. But don’t interact with it. The moment you like it, reply, screenshot it, or embed it on your site, you’ve used a clinical testimonial and that becomes your breach.
What counts as “using” a testimonial?
Publishing, sharing, linking to, or interacting with it. Re-sharing a patient’s clinical praise to your Story, liking or replying to a positive clinical review, or embedding one on your site all count. The breach is in the interaction or republishing, not who originally wrote it.
How do I reduce the risk on my own pages?
AHPRA recommends disabling reviews, comments and tagging on the social pages you control, so positive clinical content can’t be attributed to you through interaction. Beyond that, lean on non-clinical feedback, which you can use freely.
The full two-regulator rulebook is here.
Testimonials are one part. The complete AHPRA and TGA picture, including injectables, before-and-after photos and the September 2025 rules, is in the pillar guide.
Read the 2026 rulebookSources