Registration is national, so a Perth physiotherapist, OT, podiatrist or psychologist is registered through Ahpra and the relevant board exactly as one in Adelaide would be, and the advertising rules set out on our allied health page apply unchanged. Complaints are where WA has its own body. The Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO) accepts complaints about individual health care workers whether they are registered or not, and for a registered practitioner it consults Ahpra to decide which agency should handle the matter. New South Wales runs a different system again, explained on our Sydney allied health page.
Since 27 July 2023, WA has had a Code of Conduct for certain health care workers. It covers people providing health services without national registration (HaDSCO's examples include speech pathologists, dietitians, nutritionists, counsellors and social workers), registered practitioners when they provide a service unrelated to their registration, and students and volunteers. HaDSCO can investigate breaches, issue prohibition orders and publish public warnings. Two clauses bear on a website. Clause 9 rules out misinformation about your services, qualifications or professional affiliations, including efficacy claims in advertising that can't be substantiated. Clause 17 requires a copy of the code and information on how to complain to HaDSCO to be displayed or made available at every premises where you practise, easily visible or accessible to clients; a few kinds of premises, such as private hospitals, are exempt. It doesn't mention websites, and HaDSCO offers A4 and A3 posters of the code. A practitioner who only visits clients at home can ask HaDSCO how the clause applies; the code and the posters are on HaDSCO's code of conduct page (opens in a new tab).
Work injuries have been handled under the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023 since 1 July 2024. WorkCover WA lists the allied health groups it recognises, among them physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, occupational therapists, exercise physiologists and speech pathologists, but approval to treat a particular worker comes from the insurer on that claim. Two changes take effect from 1 November 2026: a Treatment Management Plan for all approved allied health providers in the scheme, which insurers will use to judge whether treatment and costs are reasonable, and the Workers Compensation (Health Services) Fees Order 2026, which raises maximum fees by 3.90%. Workers compensation for WA public sector employees is covered by the Insurance Commission, which also runs the Motor Injury Insurance Scheme, the compulsory cover that comes with every WA vehicle licence.
Primary care support comes from WA Primary Health Alliance, which operates the state's three Primary Health Networks: Perth North, Perth South and Country WA. Its Clinician Assist WA site is written mainly for GPs, but any health professional providing services in WA can register. Children under 16 who live in the metropolitan area can be referred by a parent or a professional to the Child Development Service, which offers free assessment and support for developmental delay or difficulty from centres across Perth. For disability supports, worker screening and NDIS registration in WA, see our Perth NDIS provider page.
We're an Adelaide team and work with Perth practices by phone and email. Western Australia doesn't use daylight saving, so Adelaide is 90 minutes ahead of Perth for part of the year and two and a half hours ahead from October to April. We haven't yet built for a WA business or for an allied health clinic.