Why Self-Regulate?

Allied Health Assistants (AHAs) are an important part of Australia’s health workforce. However, unlike many allied health professions, AHAs are not currently regulated through a national registration scheme.

This means the profession has an important role to play in demonstrating safe practice, professional standards and workforce leadership. Self-regulation helps support the development of the AHA workforce while strengthening confidence in the role among employers, health services and the broader community.

What is self-regulation?

Self-regulation refers to the ways in which a profession supports and promotes standards of practice, professional behaviour and ongoing professional development.

Professional associations often contribute to self-regulation by:

promoting professional standards
supporting professional development
providing guidance for safe practice
connecting members of the profession
advocating for recognition of the workforce

Why self-regulation matters for Allied Health Assistants

Self-regulation of the Allied Health Assistant workforce in Australia has a number of important benefits. It helps:

recognise the contribution AHAs make to the delivery of allied health services across all sectors and jurisdictions
protect the public by promoting training, competence and professional standards for practice
support safe delegation and supervision frameworks by recognising different levels of AHA experience and capability
improve workforce mobility by promoting more consistent understanding of the AHA role across Australia
support the development of a flexible, responsive and sustainable AHA workforce
create clearer career pathways for Allied Health Assistants
increase access to education, training and professional development opportunities

What this means in practice

For Allied Health Assistants, self-regulation means being part of a profession that is actively building its standards, strengthening its identity and supporting safe, high-quality practice.

For employers and health services, it means greater confidence in the expectations, development and professional support available to the AHA workforce.

For the broader health system, it helps create a workforce that is better recognised, better supported and better able to contribute to efficient, high-quality care.

AHANA’s role

The Allied Health Assistants National Association (AHANA) was established to represent AHAs and support the development of the AHA profession in Australia.

Through its work, AHANA has helped establish one of the first national self-regulation frameworks developed specifically for an assistant-level health workforce. This framework supports the development of professional standards, professional identity and workforce capability for Allied Health Assistants across Australia.

AHANA contributes to self-regulation by:

supporting the development of professional standards and expectations
providing professional guidance and resources
supporting continuing professional development
promoting safe delegation and supervision practices
advocating for recognition of the AHA workforce
building a national professional community for AHAs

Why this matters: Self-regulation helps Allied Health Assistants build a stronger profession, supports safer and more consistent practice, and strengthens recognition of the workforce across Australia.

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