IS H.A.F.A.A AN APPROVED REGISTRATION BODY?
Yes, HAFAA has been approved by the Commissioner for Fair Trading and is an Approved Registration Body under Australia's only Fitness Industry Code of Practice (Approved Registration Bodies) ACT.
IS H.A.F.A.A RECOGNISED BY ALL EMPLOYERS?
Not accepting a registration with an approved provider would constitute discrimination. We are aware of some employers stating that they will only accept registration with a provider of their choosing, this is akin to stating that they will only accept a Cert IV Fitness completed by their chosen RTO, or will only accept a First Aid from St Johns and not Red Cross. Unless your employer is paying for your registration, this is illegal.
On top of this, The Fair Work Act 2009 also provides individuals with Freedom of Association. This gives employees (or sub-contractors) the right to choose any industry association that they wish to be registered with. If an employer were to make registration with one specific provider a condition of employment and expect the employee to pay for this, this would also be discrimination based on terms of employment (under section 342 of the Fair Work Act) and would be unlawful. This means you may choose to register with any organisation you prefer. Should an employer want to make registration with one specific organisation a condition of employment, they would need to pay the associated costs.
You may view the Fair Work Act 2009 here, with specific reference to sections 342, 347 and 349.
WHY WE DO NOT REQUIRE CECs or PDPs..
H.A.F.A.A believes that all relevant training and education should be recognised, not just those that provide "points", so we take into account all training you may have done as well as any up-skilling during your membership.
Many fitness professionals and health clubs do not understand that "CECs" is a term coined by registration company Fitness Australia (who are now known as "AusActive") and only relevant to that company. "PDPs" are a similar term used by a different registration company, Physical Activity Australia (there are a number of registration bodies within Australia that you can choose from - including HAFAA - and it is your choice who you register with).
For a course to offer CEC points, the course provider must apply to AusActive (and pay a fee) to have these points associated with their course. This means that many quality courses (including tertiary degrees!) would not have points associated. HAFAA sees this as a massive flaw in a system that values and encourages up-skilling, which is why we take all relevant education into account. We also list every piece of education you have on your Certificate of Registration and on your online profile so that your employer can actually see all your qualifications and up-skilling rather than just your "points".
IS FITNESS REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO WORK IN THE FITNESS INDUSTRY?
It is important to understand that each registration provider is a company and not a Government Body. In Australia, the ACT is the only State that has Government-mandated Registration for fitness professionals. Outside of the ACT, Fitness Registration is not a legal requirement. While encouraged, it is not mandatory to work in the fitness industry (which is one of the reasons HAFAA aims to be an association that people want to join, not one they are forced to join).
The Fair Work Act stipulates that employees cannot be forced to pay for work-related expenses out of their own pocket; this means that if an employer chooses to make Fitness Registration a requirement of their business, they can do so, but they cannot then specify any particular organisation and put the costs associated with that back onto the employee. There are many facilities in Australia that do not "require" a fitness registration.