Tuesday, 7 July 2026
National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers commences in Tasmania
From 24 June 2026, sonographers and sonography students practising in Tasmania are subject to the National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers following the commencement of the Health Complaints (Code of Conduct) Regulations under the Health Complaints Act 1995.
The Australasian Sonographers Association welcomes the implementation of the National Code in Tasmania. More than a decade after the former Council of Australian Governments recommended a nationally consistent code-regulation scheme, the reforms bring Tasmania into line with most other Australian jurisdictions. The ASA and ASAR Code of Conduct for Sonographers (2025) is also based on the National Code.
What is the National Code?
The National Code establishes minimum standards of professional conduct for health care workers, providing an important safeguard while sonographers and many other health professions, remain outside the national registration system operated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). It also applies to AHPRA-registered practitioners when practising outside their registered scope of practice.
The Code aims to improve public safety, provide a consistent framework for managing complaints across jurisdictions, and give patients greater confidence in the health services they receive.
The Code must be displayed or made available in your workplace and information provided to patients about how to make a complaint.
Key requirements under the Code:
Health care workers must:
-
provide services safely, ethically and within their level of competence
-
obtain informed consent
-
maintain appropriate clinical records
-
comply with privacy obligations
-
follow infection prevention and control practices
-
work collaboratively with other health practitioners where appropriate
-
recognise the limits of their expertise and refer patients when necessary.
The Code also prohibits conduct that places patients at risk, including making misleading claims about qualifications or treatments, claiming to cure cancer or terminal illness without evidence, accepting payments for referrals, and engaging in inappropriate personal or sexual relationships with patients.
New powers for the Health Complaints Commissioner
The reforms expand the powers of the Tasmanian Health Complaints Commissioner to investigate alleged breaches of the Code and take action where required. This includes issuing interim practice restrictions, prohibition orders preventing a person from providing health services, and public warning statements. These orders and warnings will be published on the Commissioner's website.
Next steps
The ASA continues to advocate for further regulatory reform, including national registration of sonographers under NRAS. In the meantime, the Association supports renewed collaboration between jurisdictions to implement the scheme, including establishing a searchable national register of prohibition orders and an independent review of the National Code scheme to ensure it continues to protect the Australian public effectively.
Read more:
Guidance from the Tasmanian Health Complaints Commissioner
ASA Code of Conduct for Sonographers (2025)
Complaints can be directed to the Tasmanian Health Care Commissioner
Read previous articles on Tasmania's implementation of the National Code
Learn more about the ASA's advocacy for national regulation of the sonography profession -