Confirmation of Ahpra registration for audiologists, a new hearing aid fitting formula and gene therapy breakthroughs were among the big stories of the year for the Australian hearing care sector. Here’s a snapshot of news across the industry.
Australia’s audiologists will remember 2025 as the year the profession achieved a long-awaited regulation breakthrough, the NAL-NL3 hearing aid fitting formula gained worldwide acclaim and Auracast arrived in Australia.
Clinically, AI advances continued to transform the industry, enabling new hearing aids to deliver better sound and clarity, and a ‘smart’ cochlear implant debuted.
The audiology landscape kept changing with technology developments including Apple’s Air Pods Pro 2 hearing aid feature receiving Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval, EssilorLuxottica moving into the audiology space – offering its Nuance audio glasses for sale in Australian audiology and optometry stores – and George & Matilda Eyecare selling Audeara ear buds.
Many in the sector again received government, health and association awards and nominations for their dedication to the hearing needs of the Australian public.
Australian-first cochlear implant guidelines for adults also launched, and research discoveries from Australia and overseas continued in hearing loss, dementia, Menière’s disease, and tinnitus.
JANUARY
The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 for use as hearing aids in adults with mild to moderate hearing loss in Australia. But its Hearing Aid Feature was not yet available until Apple updated software. The software also contained a hearing test feature.
Audiometrists received their own job classification recognised by the Australian Government and no longer had to be categorised under medical technicians for taxation and other purposes. They received their own code under a new classification scheme, the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia.
A story on hearing practitioner wages was a popular read. Income data released by the Australian Taxation Office revealed the average taxable income for an audiologist in Australia in 2021-2022 – the latest information available – was $96,933. For ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeons it was $576,925, making them Australia’s fourth most highly paid profession.
FEBRUARY
Scientists from the Kolling Institute and the University of Sydney discovered a new gene mutation for Ménière’s disease which they said meant the inherited or genetic form of the disease may be more common than first realised.
The American pioneers of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, neuroscientists Drs Pawel and Margaret Jastreboff, delivered face-to-face training in Melbourne for audiologists from around the world. Melbourne tinnitus expert, Ms Mini Gupta, organised the course during tinnitus awareness week.
The State Insurance Regulatory Authority, which manages NSW workers’ compensation, proposed cost cutting for hearing aid fitting and rehabilitation for people who sustained workplace-related hearing loss.
Starkey launched its Edge AI hearing aids in Australia and New Zealand. ANZ managing director, Ms Dawn Rollings, said the deep neural network was 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, Genesis AI, enhancing sound clarity and streaming range. Other features were 30% better speech identification than existing devices, improved signal to noise ratio, and a two-fold increase in streaming range
MARCH
The Hearing Business Alliance Seminar in Melbourne achieved record attendance – 184 delegates from 121 independent businesses – reflecting continued growth of the organisation in membership, strength and as an influential industry voice.
The Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery celebrated its 75th annual scientific meeting in Sydney, attracting more than 600 ENT surgeons from around Australia and overseas.
Sydney Opera House became the first major cultural institution globally to introduce Auracast broadcast technology, setting a benchmark for accessibility in the arts and removing barriers for people with hearing loss. GN, Hearing Australia and National Acoustic Laboratories also collaborated on the world first.
Hearing Australia launched the landmark Profit for Purpose program to provide free hearing assessments, hearing aids and support to at risk people ineligible for Australian Government funded hearing services.
And University of Melbourne research suggested cochlear implants may improve cognitive function and slow dementia symptoms in older adults.
APRIL
More than 1,000 delegates – one in four audiologists in Australia – attended the nation’s premier hearing health event of the year, the Audiology Australia 2025 conference in Adelaide. Many were honoured with awards including Professor Louise Hickson who was made an AudA life member.
The National Acoustic Laboratories revealed its NAL-NL3 hearing aid fitting formula at the American Academy of Audiology conference.
It was the first time in 15 years there had been an update to the formula which is used by most audiologists worldwide. It features a suite of prescriptions and will help practitioners solve one of the biggest problems – how to fit hearing aids to people with audiometrically normal hearing tests.
A new $82 million clinical teaching building was announced for La Trobe University, Melbourne. It will house a new audiology clinical service, training and research. It will also offer audiology services to the public, and help relieve Australia’s allied health workforce shortage.
MAY
Sydney ENT surgeon Clinical Professor Catherine Birman OAM achieved an incredible milestone, performing her 2,000th cochlear implant operation, the second most in Australia, and a rare feat worldwide. The operation at Macquarie University Hospital was on Mr Leslie Harris, 72.
A La Trobe University study found high rates of bullying of audiology interns and students on placement across Australia. Nearly a third of those who answered questions about bullying said they had experienced this.
Healthscope, Australia’s second largest private hospital operator entered administration. It said the group’s 37 hospitals nationwide, which employ 19,000 staff including 108 ENT surgeons, would remain open while a buyer was sought.
Dr Angela Alexander, an audiologist who specialises in and trains practitioners to diagnose and treat auditory processing disorder (APD), launched a global directory of practitioners who test and treat APD remotely:
The Auditory Processing Services on Zoom Directory.
JUNE
Cochlear launched a world-first platform in Australia and New Zealand, featuring its new NEXOS chipset embedded in a novel “smart”, upgradable cochlear implant capable of evolving with future innovations. The Nucleus Nexa System is the first and only hearing implant featuring internal memory and upgradeable firmware. Conventional implants access future innovation by upgrading their external sound processor but in the new system, wearers can access future technology via updates to firmware in the smart implant and the sound processor.
NSW audiologist, Emeritus Professor Philip Newall, and Canberra ENT and cochlear implant surgeon
Dr Edward Peter Chapman were recognised in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours List for decades of giving generously of their skills and time. Prof Newall was awarded an AM in the General Division “for significant service to audiology education and research, and to the community”. Dr Chapman received an OAM in the General Division “for service to medicine in otorhinolaryngology”.
JULY
Melbourne audiologist Ms Mini Gupta’s case report for the inaugural World Misophonia Day was widely read. She successfully treated a young boy, Hunter, who has misophonia and autism and previously wore earmuffs almost 95% of the time.
The Hearing Professional Conduct and Complaints Body warned against live streaming and/or audiovisual recording of patient appointments for training purposes. It said it was a potential breach of the Code of Conduct for audiologists and audiometrists, and was “unethical, and illegal in most cases” to record or view a client appointment without the client’s informed consent.
Early signs of hearing improvement were seen in an Australian toddler who received gene therapy for congenital deafness, confirmed Sensorion, the company developing the treatment. An Australian surgeon involved in the trial, Prof Catherine Birman OAM, reported “encouraging onset of early auditory responses” in all five patients treated plus a good safety profile for the treatment and procedure.
AUGUST
Cochlear implant pioneer, Professor Graeme Clark AC, celebrated his 90th birthday at a tribute event at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. Former colleagues – including those instrumental in helping develop the implant – patients, staff, industry, friends and family gathered in the hospital auditorium to honour the ENT surgeon. Another milestone celebrated was the hospital’s 5,000th cochlear implant with recipient, Mrs Margaret Pearce, who was 95 when she received her implant, attending.
Charles Darwin University announced enrolments in its Master of Clinical Audiology had increased by more than 500% since 2022 when the program launched as the only one of its kind nationally to offer online study paired with intensive, hands-on clinical training.
Meanwhile, Specsavers continued its upward trajectory as a major Australian employer ranking fourth in the large business category of the 2025 Best Workplaces list.
SEPTEMBER
In one of the biggest developments in the history of audiology in Australia, the Health Ministers Meeting in Perth on 12 September confirmed audiologists would be regulated under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). Audiologists will join the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) which administers the NRAS scheme.
The Australian College of Audiology incorporating HAASA (ACAud inc. HAASA) said it was concerning that audiometrists would be excluded from regulation. But in November, ACAud inc. HAASA said health minister Mr Mark Butler had reassured it that audiometrists would continue to be recognised as qualified providers under the Hearing Services Program and other relevant Commonwealth-funded programs.
Meanwhile, the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved Neuromod Devices’ Lenire tongue stimulation device for use by adults with tinnitus in Australia, with audiologists and ENT surgeons likely to have major roles in its prescription and management.
OCTOBER
The Australia and New Zealand Hearing Health Collaborative launched the first ANZ guidelines for cochlear implantation in adults to improve access, consistency, and outcomes.
Eyecare provider OPSM started delivering audiology services in Australia and New Zealand, and its Nuance Audio Glasses for people with mild to moderate hearing loss went on sale in EssilorLuxottica Group’s optometry stores.
ACAud inc. HAASA lodged a submission to the MBS Review Advisory Committee advocating for audiometrists to be eligible providers under seven audiology and allied health Medicare items.
British toddler Opal Sandy, born profoundly deaf, can now hear normally on her own two years after receiving groundbreaking gene therapy, her parents revealed.
Fiona Stanley Hospital audiologist Ms Caris Bogdanov, who created paediatric and advanced scope registries,
was crowned Western Australia’s Early Career Allied Health Professional of the Year.
And more than 150 Specsavers Audiology Partners from around Australia and New Zealand converged on Melbourne for the second annual Specsavers Audiology Clinical Conference.
NOVEMBER
A paediatric audiologist who 12 years ago co-founded Earbus Foundation to help save the hearing of Aboriginal and at-risk children, Dr Lara Shur, was nominated in the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards, Local Hero for Western Australia section. Earbus has delivered more than 100,000 occasions of care.
Israeli company Tuned received Food and Drug Administration clearance for its software platform that transforms standard hearables such as earbuds and headphones into self-fitting hearing aids. It’s the second company, after Apple, to offer self-fitting hearing aid functionality in consumer-grade hearables.
Independent Audiologists Australia presented its inaugural Indy Awards, which celebrate excellence in independent audiology, at its Audiology Unchained 2025 conference in Queensland.
Meanwhile a systematic review and meta-analysis found the risk of hearing loss was four times higher in people with type 2 diabetes than those without diabetes. Findings indicated diabetes care should include hearing assessment, researchers said.
DECEMBER
Audiology Australia announced a new president, Brisbane audiologist with more than 30 years’ experience, Ms Lia Traves, new vice-president Dr Emma Laird, treasurer Mr David Frost and three new members, Dr Paola Incerti, Ms Janice Pollard and Ms Emma Rushbrooke.
The Australian College of Audiology incorporating HAASA (ACAud Inc. HAASA) also announced its 2025-2026 executive which includes three new board members, Ms Melissa Chandler, Mr Vaughan Grigor and Ms Anuu Priya with Adelaide audiologist Ms Kylie Dicieri re-appointed chair.
Time magazine named an Australian ‘sippy cup’ invention Earflo to help drain fluid from the ears of children with otitis media as one of the best inventions of 2025.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) released income salary details for 2022-2023, showing audiologists wages have stagnated, with the average taxable income for an audiologist in Australia just under $97,000 while ENT surgeons remained the nation’s fourth highest paid profession.
Ear Science Institute Australia’s research manager, Dr Rob Eikelboom, was named Australia’s leading researcher in audiology, speech and language pathology for the second consecutive year by The Australian’s Research magazine along with The University of Queensland (UQ) (leading research institution for audiology, speech and language pathology); Professor Richard Harvey (leading researcher in otolaryngology) and Macquarie University (leading institution in otolaryngology research).
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