Allied health professionals and other technicians and support workers who work with allied health professionals. This subset of Australian health professions does not include medical, nursing or dental professions.

In both the international and national domain there is no universally accepted definition of allied health professions. Instead a range of definitions are used in various sectors. A variety of professions are listed as allied health professions by various government authorities and departments, health service providers, health funds and tertiary institutions.

Professions Australia has defined ‘a profession’ as: “a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others. It is inherent in the definition of a profession that a code of ethics governs the activities of each profession. Such codes require behaviour and practice beyond the personal moral obligations of an individual. They define and demand high standards of behaviour in respect to the services provided to the public and in dealing with professional colleagues. Further, these codes are enforced by the profession and are acknowledged and accepted by the community."