Can a New Zealand beauty therapist work in Australia?

This week’s question comes from a beauty therapist across the ditch who wants to know about beauty therapy laws in Australia. She isn’t sure whether she needs to fully retrain in her field when she moves to Australia or whether we honour her credentials locally. Find out if she can work here legally without paying for new qualifications. We consulted Hair and Beauty Australia Industry Association (HABA) for an answer on this qualification-related query.

Q “Hi there! I am a New Zealand beauty therapist with my diploma in beauty therapy, and am looking at moving to Australia sometime in the near future, but I am wondering what qualifications are required to work over in Australia. Is my NZ diploma valid over there?”


A “There are no licensing requirements in Australia, with the former licensing regime being scrapped. NZ being so close to Australia in terms of the educational systems, typically most qualifications transfer directly. This is not true for all countries and programs. To be sure it is best to check with the appropriate state.

All states want hairdressers and beauticians to be appropriately qualified with at least a Certificate III or IV in either hair or beauty, and while it is not always a requirement of the state some insurance providers, or locals may want the owner of the salon to hold them to prove competency.   

…. we always recommend to double check if there are any planning or local council requirements when opening a salon as mentioned before. However, regardless of formal requirements, we do recommend that all members in the hair and beauty industry obtain certifications. While Hair and Beauty is a skilled art, it is important to be properly educated in the basics as we see this as the foundations that help build a long and successful career.”

That’s it from us on beauty therapy laws in Australia today.


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