Public Health (Infection Control for Personal Appearance Services) Act 2003

What This Law Does

This Queensland law regulates businesses that provide personal appearance services — things like hairdressing, beauty therapy, tattooing, body piercing, and skin treatments — to reduce the risk of spreading infections (like hepatitis or HIV) to customers.

Who It Affects

If you run a tattoo studio, piercing shop, or similar business that breaks the skin (called a "higher risk" service), you must:

• Hold a licence from your local council
• Ensure your staff hold a formal infection control qualification
• Meet strict premises standards and display your licence prominently
• Renew your licence every 3 years

If you run a hairdressing salon, beauty salon, nail bar, or waxing studio (called "non-higher risk" services), you must:

• Take all reasonable steps to prevent infection
• Notify your local council you've started business (if your council requires it)

If you personally perform tattooing, body piercing, scarification, or implanting materials under skin, you need an infection control qualification — even if you're not the business owner.

If you're a customer, this law protects you by setting minimum hygiene standards. However, you cannot sue a business simply because they broke this law — you'd need to rely on other legal rights (like negligence) to do that.