Listening to Common Sense
Join the campaign calling for improved access to allied health and hearing care services
This 2025 federal election, Audiology Australia has joined the call for political parties and independents to make common-sense changes to their policies that will improve access to allied health and hearing care services for more Australians.
Greater action is urgently needed to help the one in six Australians affected by hearing loss and address the financial impacts of hearing loss, estimated to cost Australia $20 billion annually*.
On this page
What we’re calling for
We’re calling on political parties and independents to support both Allied Health Professions Australia’s and the Hearing Health Sector Alliance’s election priorities.
Audiology Australia was involved in developing all 9 election priorities.
Allied Health Professions Australia’s election priorities
AHPA’s 5 election priorities seek to recognise the public value of Allied Health Professionals including audiologists and increase multidisciplinary cooperation across healthcare services.
1. Primary Care
This is asking to: Facilitate funding and workforce reform to include the allied health sector more in new multidisciplinary care models.
How this benefits audiologists: Enhancing audiologists’ role in multidisciplinary care.
- Greater recognition of your profession in system-wide healthcare reforms, ensuring you are included in primary care strategies.
- Improved funding models will make audiology services more accessible through Medicare and chronic disease management plans.
- Expansion of direct referrals to audiologists will reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment.
How this benefits clients:
- More affordable and accessible care – improved funding through Medicare and chronic disease management plans will make it easier for you to access audiology services.
- Faster diagnosis and treatment – direct referral pathways to audiologists mean you no longer need to navigate unnecessary delays before receiving hearing assessments and treatment.
- Better integration in healthcare – recognition of audiologists in primary care reforms ensures your hearing health services are prioritised alongside other essential health services.
2. Aged Care
This is asking to: Embed allied health services, in the aged care system.
How this benefits audiologists: Ensuring audiologists are embedded in aged care.
- Increased funding and recognition for audiologists in aged care settings will give you access to more employment opportunities.
- Better access for older Australians to hearing services, reducing undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss.
- Inclusion in government programs like Support at Home ensures your profession is a core service rather than an optional add-on.
How this benefits clients:
- With audiologists embedded in aged care, your/ your family member’s hearing loss can be identified and managed before it significantly impacts communication and cognitive function.
- Better access to hearing care reduces social isolation, improves engagement with your family and caregivers, and enhances your overall well-being.
- Inclusion in government programs like Support at Home ensures your hearing services are a standard part of aged care rather than an optional extra.
3. Digital health
This is asking to: Increase digital cooperation across professions, providing allied health professionals access to a client’s digital health information generated by other healthcare professionals.
How this benefits audiologists: Improving audiologists’ access to patient data & emerging technology.
- Standardised terminology and better-integrated patient records will streamline your case management and referrals.
- More efficient workflows through improved digital tools will reduce your administrative burden and free up your time for patient care.
- Influence over the regulation of AI tools and OTC hearing devices, ensuring they support best practice.
- Improve your access to innovative technology.
How this benefits clients:
- Integrated patient records allow audiologists to collaborate more effectively with other healthcare providers, ensuring a more seamless care experience for you.
- Standardised terminology and improved digital tools will reduce errors and delays in care.
4. Rural and remote
This is asking to: Reduce disadvantages for rural and remote Australians in accessing allied health services.
How this benefits audiologists: Expanding audiology services in underserved areas.
- More support for teleaudiology and mobile services so that you can reach remote communities.
- Increase support and understanding of workforce requirements in rural and remote areas
- Stronger partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to improve Indigenous hearing health.
- Increased Medicare rebates and direct referral options, making it financially viable for you to work in rural and remote settings.
How this benefits clients:
- Increased Medicare rebates and expanded referral pathways will make hearing care more accessible and affordable if you live in a rural or remote area.
- Increased investment in rural workforce support means you will have better access to audiologists.
- Expansion of teleaudiology ensures you can receive expert care without long travel distances.
- Stronger support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hearing health.
5. Disability
This is asking to: Increase the allied health sector’s involvement in discussions with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
How this benefits audiologists: Strengthening audiologists’ role in disability support.
- More input into NDIA pricing and eligibility decisions ensures you can deliver sustainable, high-quality care under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
- Better access to hearing services for clients with workplace hearing loss, creating new opportunities for you to support this population.
- Advocacy for clearer pathways to audiological care in the Disability Support Pension process, reducing barriers for your clients.
How this benefits clients:
- Stronger engagement with the NDIA ensures you can access sustainable, high-quality audiology services under the NDIS.
- Fewer barriers to support – advocating for clearer eligibility criteria and fair pricing changes will ensure more people receive the hearing care they require.
Hearing Health Sector Alliance’s election priorities
HHSA’s 4 election priorities seek to raise awareness of policy change requests specific to hearing health.
6. Prioritising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Hearing Health
This is asking to: Review outreach programs and expand community service obligations to help close the ear and hearing health gap.
How this benefits audiologists:
- Expands your employment opportunities in outreach programs, particularly in remote and underserved areas.
- Encourages your professional development in culturally responsive care, enhancing skills and knowledge.
- Potential for increased government funding to support sustainable service delivery.
- Strengthens your professional networks by collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and other healthcare providers.
How this benefits clients:
- Improved access to hearing assessments and treatment for your / Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, leading to earlier intervention and better long-term outcomes.
- Greater availability of culturally safe and responsive hearing healthcare services.
- Reduces the educational and social disadvantages caused by undiagnosed hearing loss.
- Ensures outreach resources are used effectively in communities that need them most.
7. Implement Hearing Loss Screening in Aged Care Facilities
This is asking to: Implement standardised hearing screening programs in aged care facilities and include this as a quality metric in aged care reporting.
How this benefits audiologists:
- Routine screening will ensure hearing loss is identified sooner, leading to timely referrals and treatment.
- A structured screening program will create more opportunities for you to work within aged care settings.
- Standardised screening practices elevates the role of your profession.
How this benefits clients:
- Routine screening will help identify hearing loss sooner, leading to quicker intervention and better communication for you / your family members in aged care.
- Reduced risk of cognitive decline – untreated hearing loss is linked to dementia; regular screening ensures hearing issues are addressed, supporting your brain health.
- Addressing hearing loss helps keep you socially engaged, reducing feelings of isolation and improving your overall well-being.
8. Address Regional and Remote Workforce Shortages
This is asking to: Address the imbalance of hearing health professionals being concentrated in urban areas.
How this benefits audiologists:
- Strengthening rural audiology services ensures your clients can receive timely hearing healthcare, reducing preventable complications.
- More incentives for rural practice – government support for relocation, higher rebates, and workforce incentives will make working in regional and remote areas more attractive.
- Expansion of teleaudiology – increased investment in telehealth will enable you to reach patients in remote communities more effectively.
How this benefits clients:
- Better access to care – more audiologists in regional and remote areas mean there will be shorter wait times and fewer delays in you receiving hearing services.
- Increased investment in teleaudiology allows you to access expert care without needing to travel long distances.
- More equitable health outcomes – strengthening the workforce in rural areas ensures you will receive the same level of care as Australians in urban centers.
9. Expand the Hearing Services Program for Low-Income and Unemployed Adults.
This is asking to: Expand the Hearing Services Program to include individuals who are currently left unsupported due to restrictive eligibility requirements.
How this benefits audiologists:
- More people will be able to receive subsidised hearing care, expanding your client base.
- Recognition of your profession’s role in public health – strengthening the Hearing Services Program highlights the importance of hearing care in broader healthcare policies.
- Creates opportunities for you to work with a broader demographic, enhancing professional expertise.
How this benefits clients:
- Expanding eligibility will allow more people to access free or subsidised hearing aids and audiology services.
- Addressing hearing loss enables you to stay engaged in the workforce and participate fully in your communities.
- Access to hearing services supports your overall health, reducing risk of social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline.
How you can help
Write a message to your local MP.
- Search for your local representative and copy their email address from the Parliament of Australia website.
- Use the correct honorific in your address: “Dear Ms / Mrs / Mr / Minister”.
- Copy and paste your chosen email below, complete the missing details and send it to your MP.
Email Template from an Audiologist
Dear
I am writing to you as my local member of parliament to implore you to support improved access to allied health and hearing care services for more Australians.
As an audiologist, I believe both Allied Health Professions Australia’s and the Hearing Health Sector Alliance’s election priorities contain common-sense recommendations that will allow me to more easily support my clients with hearing loss, tinnitus, balance disorders and other conditions.
I believe policies concerning both the allied health and hearing health sectors need urgent attention.
One in six Australians is affected by hearing loss, which costs the nation an estimated $20 billion annually. By acting on these recommendations, you will be directly supporting earlier intervention, easier treatment processes and a reduced financial burden on taxpayers.
I encourage you to find out more about the nine priorities by accessing the relevant documents at www.audiology.asn.au/federal-election-campaign-2025#asks and contacting my membership body for more information at policy@audiology.asn.au
Yours faithfully
Email Template from the Public
Dear
I am writing to you as my local member of parliament to implore you to support improved access to allied health and hearing care services for more Australians.
I endorse Allied Health Professions Australia’s five key recommendations and the Hearing Health Sector Alliance’s four election priorities. These practical, person-centred reforms aim to improve access to hearing care and secure essential funding for local communities, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who experience disproportionately high rates of preventable hearing loss.
Policies concerning both the allied health and hearing health sectors must change.
Currently, one in six Australians is affected by hearing loss, which costs the nation an estimated $20 billion annually. Addressing this issue is not just a health priority but an economic one.
I encourage you to find out more by accessing the relevant documents at www.audiology.asn.au/federal-election-campaign-2025#asks and reaching out to Audiology Australia for further information at policy@audiology.asn.au
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your support on this critical issue.
Yours faithfully
Contact Audiology Australia
For more information on these focus areas, the campaign and Audiology Australia’s policy and advocacy priorities, please contact us.