Regulation Down Under
Australia gives you a ready-made playbook to create legal ABA licensure in your own country.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Australia built its first national behavior-analyst licensing board. Haberlin et al. (2025) walk through every step they took.
They explain how they picked a name, wrote bylaws, and won government approval. The paper is a road map, not a lab study.
What they found
The team shows the final structure: a non-profit regulator that can certify BCBAs, handle complaints, and set fees.
They list the exact forms, timelines, and costs so other countries can copy or tweak them.
How this fits with other research
Napolitano et al. (2025) urge individual BCBAs to lobby lawmakers. Haberlin shows what happens when that lobbying wins: you get a real licensing law.
Eslava et al. (2025) tell how four women built an ABA group in Mexico. Haberlin adds the next layer: turning a volunteer group into a legal regulator.
McComas et al. (2025) warn that ableism lingers without oversight. Australia's new board answers that worry by giving families a place to file formal complaints.
Why it matters
If you live where anyone can call themselves an “ABA therapist,” you can lift Australia's forms and pitch your own bill. Start by sharing the cost sheet and governance draft with your state ABA chapter this month.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Regulation of a profession is one way of helping to protect the public's interest and safety. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board ([BACB], n.d.-a) has provided certification to behavior analysts worldwide for a couple of decades to improve public confidence and set professional standards for behavior analysis. As the world grows and changes, there is an increasing need to create nation-specific regulatory bodies to meet the unique demands of behavior analysts practicing in their countries. In Australia, the use of behavior analysis and the number of practicing behavior analysts has grown in the last decade. This article describes the efforts of behavior analysts in Australia to first create a national membership body and then establish a national regulatory framework for behavior analysis. The impact of critical factors to the development of an Australian behavior analytic regulation system such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the history of allied health regulation in Australia is discussed. Lastly, suggestions are offered for other countries to develop their own regulatory frameworks.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2025 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00879-w