Media release
Audiology Australia welcomes news confirmed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday that audiology students will join the Commonwealth Prac Payment, which provides financial support to help students while they undertake practical training.
Starting 1 July 2027, eligible audiology students are expected to receive up to $338.60 per week during their placements. This expansion of the paid prac will ease students’ financial stress, supporting them to focus more on building their skills in preparation for the workforce.
The expansion follows lobbying from Audiology Australia, working together with Allied Health Professions Australia in a united approach. Alongside audiology, students studying nine other health care courses have become eligible for the payment.
‘The expansion of the Commonwealth Prac Payment is a massive win for audiologists, the wider allied health care sector, and those who may benefit from allied health care services, including the one in five Australians living with deafness, hearing loss, or associated conditions,’ said Audiology Australia President Lia Traves.
‘The fact that the Prime Minister has recognised audiology as a “key front line health profession” signals just how valuable the role of an audiologist is to help Australians manage their hearing, their ability to process and understand sounds, and their balance, and why supporting the future audiology workforce is so important.’
Audiology Australia would like to thank all those who signed the petition to end placement poverty for allied health students, which formed a core component of the sector’s campaign to expand the prac payment.
Audiology Australia will continue to advocate for outcomes that recognise the importance of audiologist practitioner competency, education and training, and strengthen collaboration across both hearing health and the wider allied health sector.
Available for interview
Lia Traves, President of Audiology Australia
Email: communications@audiology.asn.au
For more information
ALP: Albanese Labor Government expands paid prac to strengthen Medicare