Audiology Australia says it is disappointed that audiology and hearing health were overlooked in the 2025 Australian Federal Budget.
“We are disappointed that once again, audiology and hearing health have been overlooked in the Government’s Budget priorities,” Ms Leanne Emerson, AudA’s CEO told Hearing Practitioner Australia.
“Barriers such as limited Medicare funding and inadequate recognition of audiologists’ scope of practice continue to limit access to these vital services, despite audiologists’ key role in primary care.
“While the focus on expanding the general practice and nursing workforce is pleasing, relying solely on these two professions is a narrow approach.”
Emerson said that targeted investment in funding models, direct referral pathways from audiologists to ENTs, title protection for audiologists, and expanded workforce programs would improve equitable access to hearing care, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations.
“Despite clear workforce shortages affecting rural and remote areas, there is no commitment to addressing this disparity,” she said.
Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) said the Federal Budget “felt like groundhog day for allied health”.
AHPA expressed its disbelief that the nation’s second largest health workforce, comprising about 300,000 workers, was once again ignored by the Albanese Government, with no substantive measures announced in the Budget which was handed down on 25 March 2025.
Multidisciplinary team care ignored
Ms Bronwyn Morris-Donovan, AHPA CEO, said the glaring omission of the allied health sector was disappointing given the Government’s initially ambitious health reform agenda.
“The budget is a return to the old-school thinking of single-discipline models of care,” she said. “After three years of talk, the government is still only funding doctors and nurses.
“While we welcome significant investment into Medicare and measures to grow the GP and nursing workforce, we question the single focus approach.”
Morris-Donovan said consumers with the most complex health needs benefitted from wrap-around multidisciplinary care.
“There is nothing more disenabling to service innovation than incentivising only one member of the care team,” she said.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data showed that 61% of the population live with at least one chronic condition. “In a cost-of-living crisis, access to affordable primary allied health care is critical,” she said.
“Better utilisation and integration of allied health into primary care would ultimately improve access and outcomes for Australians living with chronic conditions.
AHPA was also disappointed by the absence of expansion of prac payments, especially when more than half of the allied health sector was in a national workforce shortage.
“This Budget provides no support for allied health workforce initiatives, and the National Allied Health Workforce Strategy remains unfunded,” she said.
AudA wants improved access to hearing care services
In the leadup to the 2025 federal election, Audiology Australia is calling for policy changes to improve access to hearing care services for more Australians.
AudA on 19 March 2025 joined a call for political parties and independent politicians to make ‘common-sense changes’ to their policies in the lead-up to the election that will improve access to allied health and hearing care services.
The nation’s peak audiology body is also supporting a recommendation from the Hearing Health Sector Alliance (HHSA) to expand the Hearing Services Program (HSP) to low-income and unemployed Australian
It is urging audiologists, hearing care professionals, clients and the public to show their support and get behind the campaign by emailing their local MP.
Find out more here about the priorities Audiology Australia is calling for this election.
