Build your gym, sports or health centre's credibility and improve your overall business with the following accreditations and memberships: Showcase your professional credibility and commitment by joining the industry's leading organisation, AUSactive. Read more To build a better business, establish credibility and create competitive advantages, gyms can get the right accreditation with AUSactive. Read more The Health and Fitness Association of Australia was started by fitness professionals, for fitness professionals. It is an Approved Registration Body under Australia's only Fitness Industry Code of Practice and is invested in protecting the rights of trainers and instructors. Read more

A global Deloitte Report, commissioned by The Global Health & Fitness Alliance in collaboration with AUSactive, found that the Australian fitness and health industry contributes over 4 billion dollars to Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). ​ AUSactive CEO Barrie Elvish said that this contribution to the Australian GDP showed the significant size, impact and demand for the health and fitness sector. In addition to the industry's economic impact, the Deloitte Report looked at its socio-economic impact, finding: Inactivity directly costs the Australian healthcare system $2 billion to treat and care for key diseases linked to a lack of fitness. Every year, Australia loses over 14 million working days in absenteeism and presenteeism from insufficiently active workers. Every inactive worker costs the economy $2,191 per year, representing 6% of average disposable income per capita. Read more from AUSactive.

The Healthy Food Partnership and the Branded Food Database will enhance the food supply and assist Australians in making healthier dietary choices, with funding of $1.4 million. Read more Grant opportunity: The Healthy Lifestyle Grants Program invites eligible organisations in the Northern Territory can access funding to enhance health in various community settings by promoting healthy food, increasing food security, encouraging physical activity, and supporting partnerships for wellbeing, Applications close March 1 2025. Read more

NATIONAL Grant opportunity: National Pies for Local Heroes. Any registered Australian community group, sporting club or not-for-profit organisation can apply for a grant of $1,000 each month over the next 12 months. A major grant of $10,000 will be awarded at the end of the program. Whether you need new boots for your footy club, a special trip funded, or something else entirely — tell National Pies how they can help. Applications close on the 30th of each month until February 2025. Read more Grant opportunity: Macca's Sponsorships. Contributes to sporting organisations that develop kids’ sports skills and provide opportunities for them to play. Hundreds of sporting clubs across Australia benefit from the support of their local McDonald’s restaurant and in some states, restaurants work together to support state-wide programs. Read more Grant opportunity: Australian Public Health Small Grants Program provides financial assistance to eligible patients in public health settings, helping them meet essential health and wellbeing needs through applications made by qualified health professionals. Read more Grant opportunity: Social Enterprise Capability Building Grants provide funding of up to $120,000 to Australian social enterprises and trading Indigenous organisations that deliver social benefits to disadvantaged individuals, helping them grow their impact and enhance their capabilities. Read more Grant opportunity: Community Supported Small Grants Program provides funding to assist individuals experiencing immediate financial hardship, enabling social workers, case managers or allied health professionals of charitable organisations to support those in need in maintaining essential safety and wellbeing standards. Read more Grant opportunity: The Regional All Abilities Participation Grants support not-for-profit organisations in regional Victoria to increase sports and recreation opportunities for people with disabilities, offering up to $25,000 for equipment, travel costs, workforce inclusion, and disability-led programs. Read more STATE Grant opportunity: Community Recreation and Sport Facilities Program provides funding to eligible South Australian organisations for the development of sustainable, inclusive, and fit-for-purpose active recreation and sport facilities that address community needs and promote participation. Read more

To enhance the professional skills of Australia's personal trainers, gym members and gym staff, ongoing professional development and training is paramount. See the following courses to upskill yourself or your staff. ​ The Australian Institute of Fitness is a training organisation in Australia. To find a course that works for you, from personal trainer courses to nutrition coach courses, Read more To become a qualified fitness professional, you can undertake a course with the Australian Institute of Personal Trainers. Read more The Australian Fitness Academy has assisted graduates in creating careers as exercise professionals by offering the SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. Read more Government funding is also available for various courses, including Certificate III in Fitness, Certificate IV in Fitness, and Personal Trainer courses. The Queensland Government offers a special subsidy for eligible candidates through the exclusive ‘Queensland Certificate III Guarantee’ course, which is part of the Queensland Skill Assure program. Read more The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) provides scholarships and bursaries to health professionals in rural and remote areas, supporting the cost of postgraduate courses, short courses, workshops, conferences, and vocational training to enhance their skills and capacity, with a focus on medical, nursing, midwifery, allied health, dental, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals, often with a return of service obligation. Read more

For information on where government funding is being allocated for preventative health, see below. ​ The 2024–25 Budget allocates $1.3 billion to prevent illness, enable earlier disease detection, manage chronic conditions, and underscore the vital role of community and elite sport in promoting an active, healthy lifestyle. Read more Federal budget 2024–25: $25.3 million to prevent skin cancer, now and in the future. An investment in the Melanoma Institute Australia will see the development of a national roadmap to better skin cancer outcomes. Read more Federal budget 2024–25: $38.8 million to continue funding for free bowel cancer screening under the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. The age for free bowel cancer screening will be lowered from 50 to 45. Read more Federal budget 2024–25: $43.9 million to work towards eliminating HIV transmission by 2030. People with or at risk of HIV will receive better prevention, testing and information. There will also be more training around HIV for the health and support workforce. Read more $478 million for preventive and public health research. Read more ​ $303.5 million in new MFF grants and funding opportunities to assist researchers around the country in tackling health problems, including dementia, the wellbeing of Indigenous mother and their babies, and cancer. Read more ​ $30.1 million to continue delivering the National Preventative Health Strategy 2021-2030, with a focus on increasing physical activity and improving nutrition. Read more The Federal Government is investing $56.1 million over four years to enhance women's access to sexual and reproductive healthcare throughout their lives. This initiative includes training GPs to improve menopause care and to become certified in the insertion and removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives. Read more Federal budget 2024–25: $49.1 million for higher Medicare rebates to see a gynaecologist for complex conditions like endometriosis, a new medicine for breast cancer, and $56.5 million for new Medicare services for midwives to provide longer consultations before and after the birth of a child. Read more

The federal government invests millions in sport, including the following funding: The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) provides grants and funding for all levels of sport nationwide. Read more to see and apply for these current grants. Federal budget 2024–25: $132.7 million to boost sports participation. Read more The Government will further invest $57.4 million in Sport Integrity Australia to continue delivering anti-doping and integrity functions, enhancing the reputation and credibility of sporting contests and sport as a whole. Read more $2.1 million to advance the rights of women, girls and broader human rights objectives, as well as for a talent and development program to increase the number of female coaches, officials and administrators. Read more $10.7 million to maximise social, economic and sporting outcomes from the green and gold decades of major sporting events and leverage significant legacy initiatives. Read more $8.3 million in 2023-24 for the extension of the Local Sporting Champions program, which supports young Australians to participate in state, national and interactional sporting competitions. Read more $1.6 million over 3 years from 2023 to Reclink Australia to expand port and recreation programs for disadvantaged Australians. Read more $16.3 million from 2024-25 to support the Confederation of Australian Sports to host the World Masters Games in Perth. Read more $79.6 million for an additional two calendar years of the school sporting program to support children, young people and their parents to reconnect with sport in a safe and healthy way. This program reaches around 2.2 million students per year. Read more The Play Our Way program, funded by the Australian Government with $200 million over three years (2024–2027), provides grants to local governments, community organisations, not-for-profit organisations, and sporting organisations to create safe, inclusive facilities and initiatives that encourage women and girls to access, participate, and remain involved in sport and physical activity. Read more The Local Sporting Champions program provides financial assistance ranging from $500 to $750 to athletes, coaches, and officials aged 12-18 for expenses related to participating in state, national, or international championships, with additional funding available for long-distance and international travel, and for those residing in rural electorates, with applications open year-round and assessed in four funding rounds. Read more SOUTH AUSTRALIA The Active State Collaboration Program (ASCP) provides funding to support sport and recreation initiatives that align with the ORSR Strategic Plan, offering up to $250,000 per project to encourage physical activity, inclusion, and innovation across South Australia, with funding available through two streams: a Targeted stream for inactive youth aged 12-15 and an Open stream for projects that promote active living for all South Australians. Read more VICTORIA The Local Sports Infrastructure Fund: Community Facilities provides funding for the development of high-quality, accessible community sport and active recreation infrastructure in metropolitan LGAs, supporting projects such as pavilion developments, sports field upgrades, multi-sport training facilities, and outdoor recreation spaces, with priority given to projects that enhance participation for underrepresented groups, support socio-economically disadvantaged communities, and demonstrate multi-use, shared facilities with long-term community access. Read more NEW SOUTH WALES The Performance Support Program assists aspiring NSW tennis players, particularly those transitioning from junior to open-level events and with limited access to resources, by providing funding for travel, coaching, and ancillary services to enhance their performance, with recipients required to promote Tennis NSW, participate in NSW events, and demonstrate a commitment to the values and policies of Tennis NSW and Tennis Australia. Read more QUEENSLAND The Sport and Recreation Recovery Grant provides funding ranging from $20,000 to $1 million (GST exclusive) to not-for-profit sport and active recreation organisations in Queensland whose assets or facilities have been directly damaged by an eligible disaster event, supporting the clean-up, repair, or replacement of infrastructure, with a focus on re-establishing activities and improving resilience to future disasters. Read more WESTERN AUSTRALIA The Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program provides financial support to sport and active recreation organisations in Western Australia to plan, secure, and deliver events, with funding available for event projects (up to $15,000), event hosting (up to $50,000), and regional initiatives through the Country Sport Enrichment Scheme (up to $30,000), aimed at national, international, and mass participation events or sport development opportunities in regional WA. Read more