Clinical guidelines

Ensuring people in Australia have the best access to care and treatment is a high priority for Hepatitis Australia. The involvement of primary and tertiary doctors and nurses is vital.

To support this, Australia has several guiding documents for the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of both hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Please use the green links below to access the documents.

HepLink Australia can provide support and linkage to other professionals, training or services for health professionals or their clients. Call 1800 437 222.

National Hepatitis Testing Policies

Australia has clear policies to inform testing procedures for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Health professionals are encouraged to understand and implement the following policies.

National Hepatitis B Testing Policy

National Hepatitis C Testing Policy

Hepatitis C Treatment Guidelines

Leading national clinical bodies experienced in hepatitis along with Hepatitis Australia have informed the Australian recommendations for the management of hepatitis C infection. 

Decision making in Hepatitis C

HCV In Children: Australian Commentary On AASLD-IDSA Guidance

Decision Making – Hepatitis C In Children

B Positive: Hepatitis B for Primary Care

Produced by ASHM, B Positive is a guide for primary care providers. This guide provides a comprehensive summary of currently available knowledge and practice.

B Positive Guide

B Referred: Hepatitis B Referral and Clinical Support Resources 

This suite of resources has been developed to support primary care clinicians at the time of diagnosis or engagement through what needs to happen next, as well as options for ongoing management and care.

B Referred

Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in Antenatal Care

This resource is for primary health care professionals providing antenatal care including nurses, midwives, general practitioners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners.

It contains advice about recommended antenatal testing for hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis. In addition, it provides information about the management of these BBVs and STIs during pregnancy, labour and birth, and the postpartum period.

Bloodborne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections in Antenatal Care

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Surveillance

The Clinical practice guidelines for HCC surveillance for people at high risk in Australia aim to provide information and recommendations to guide surveillance for people at high risk of HCC. Evidence has shown it to be successful in detecting lesions and/or early-stage tumours, increasing the receipt of curative treatment and improving overall survival.

The development of these Guidelines was led by eminent clinicians in the area of liver disease and liver cancer, Co-Chairs Professor Jacob George and Dr Nicole Allard, alongside a multi-disciplinary working party, including healthcare and clinical representatives, representatives with lived experience and other community representatives. 

Clinical practice guidelines for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance for people at high risk in Australia

HCV in Children: Australian Commentary on AASLD-IDSA Guidance

This document provides Australian (AU) Commentary on the AASLD-IDSA HCV Guidance:
HCV in Children. Recommendations for testing, managing, and treating hepatitis C.

More information about viral hepatitis for clinicians

Doctors or nurses interested in hepatitis B or hepatitis C access Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) or Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) resources for further information.

Hepatitis B and immigration

Developed by ASHM with support from Hepatitis Australia and the Health+Law project, this guidance has been developed as a source of information for clinicians to support people living with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in the process of applying for a permanent visa.

Applicants can be denied a permanent visa due to their CHB status, although this is now rare in the absence of other comorbidities or liver damage due to the increase to the ‘significant cost’ threshold and the lowered cost of medication.

To be eligible for a permanent visa the applicant must meet the health criteria set by the Department of Home Affairs.

Hepatitis B and Immigration

You can also review the 'Hepatitis B Visa and Migration FAQ" on the Hepatitis Australia website.

Visa and Migration FAQ

Training opportunities

Community workers

State and territory hepatitis organisations offer various hepatitis B and hepatitis C training courses in your jurisdiction. Contact your local organisation to find out more about what they offer:

Hepatitis ACT

Hepatitis NSW

NTAHC (NT)

Hepatitis Queensland

Hepatitis SA

TasCAHRD

LiverWell (Victoria)

Hepatitis WA

Health professionals

ASHM offers a range of face-to-face, webinar and online  training courses specifically designed for health professionals and any other specific workforces that require hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C education and training.  

ASHM tailors training courses to address the specific needs of the audience and epidemiology and service practicalities of the locality in which it is delivered. They use local experts to deliver the training wherever possible.   

Find out more about the training offered by ASHM

National Hepatitis Strategies

Australia's response to viral hepatitis is guided by National Strategies developed by The Australian Government in partnership with State and Territory governments, researchers, clinicians and community organisations.  The following strategies form part of a suite of documents addressing hepatitis, HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

The following links enable you to download the current strategies.

Third National Hepatitis B Strategy 2018 - 2022

Fifth National Hepatitis C Strategy 2018 - 2022

Fifth National Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderBBV and STI Strategy 2018- 2022

The draft Fourth National Hepatitis B Strategy and Sixth National Hepatitis C Strategy were released in 2023 for public consultation. Hepatitis Australia eagerly awaits their final release.

You can view these draft strategies on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

State and Territory Hepatitis Strategies

All state and territory governments have signed on to the national hepatitis strategies. Many also have their own strategies or action plans. 

You can find links to these below:

• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
• Victoria
• Western Australia

Clinical Trials

ClinTrial Refer is an online search tool that provides a directory of clinical trials. They have partnered with the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) to communicate current clinical trials for Gastroenterology and Hepatology trials in Australia.

There are clinical trials for people affected by hepatitis B and hepatitis C in the platform. ClinTrial Refer provides extensive information about each study, including key eligibility criteria and trial site contact information. You have the option of using the ClinTrial Refer mobile app or the ClinTrial Refer website to search.

Finding a suitable clinical trial can be difficult. ClinTrial Refer has created a free and easy-to-use search tool that can help match patients to studies using filters such as location, medical condition, sponsor, and trial status.

You can download the ClinTrial Refer app via the QR code below or by searching for it in your app store. Alternatively, you can search on the website here.

Contact tracing in regional and remote areas

The Western Australian Department of Health has developed a video about contact tracing in regional and remote areas in collaboration with the Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service. 

While this video focuses on sexual transmission, much of the guidance is relevant to contract tracing for other forms of transmission, including through tribal scarring and intravenous drug use for hepatitis B and C, and family or close household contacts for hepatitis B.

Please note, it is recommended that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are tested for hepatitis B.

Mental health worker information

If you have a client with hepatitis C, don’t wait to talk about a cure.

The below factsheet provides information for workers in mental health settings about hepatitis C.

Download a copy now