The Health and Fitness Assocation of Australia

IS H.A.F.A.A AN APPROVED REGISTRATION BODY?

Yes, HAFAA has been approved by the Commissioner for Fair Trading is an Approved Registration Body under the Australia's only Fitness Industry Code of Practice (ACT).

IS H.A.F.A.A RECOGNISED BY ALL EMPLOYERS?

The Fair Work Act 2009 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 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 Fitness Australia ("PDPs" are the equivalent for Physical Activity Australia) and only applicable to them.

For a course to offer such points, the course provider must apply to the relevant association (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. H.A.F.A.A 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 privately owned 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 in any other State. While encouraged, it is not mandatory for your employment (which is one of the reasons H.A.F.A.A aims to be a company 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 put the costs associated with that back onto the employee; the employer would need to cover the costs associated wth the registration as it is a work expense that they have chosen to make compulsory. This is why there are plenty of centres that do not "require" a fitness registration.