It’s been a busy year in the hearing health sector since Hearing Practitioner Australia launched in April 2024.
Hot topics have included health ministers considering Ahpra registration for audiologists, a scope of practice review recommending direct audiologist to ENT referral, and the first gene therapy treatments for deafness including in Australia. Here’s a snapshot of key happenings.
Business highlights
The year kicked off with Specsavers opening its 300th audiology store in Australia in Geelong, Victoria. Its 2023-2024 annual review later revealed Specsavers Audiology recorded its fastest growth globally in Australia and New Zealand with a 30% increase in customers through its doors compared with 2022-2023. Its Australian business, including optometry and audiology, contributed $1.42 billion to the company’s global group revenue of $6.5 billion to the end of February 2024.
In March Cochlear and Hearing Australia signed a new three-year agreement to collaborate in key areas including training, research, awareness, access to hearing care, and improving hearing health of First Nations people. In May Cochlear completed its acquisition of Oticon Medical’s cochlear implant business from Demant, and said it would support hearing health outcomes of 20,000 people with Oticon Medical cochlear implants.
MED-EL and Starkey announced a collaboration to enable an all-new Bluetooth listening experience for people with a MED-EL cochlear implant and Starkey products. They said the new technology would expand Bluetooth connectivity solutions for people using bimodal hearing technology. MED-EL later acquired Austrian company BHM-Tech which specialises in bone conduction hearing systems.
Deaf Connect launched its Ageing Well program for Deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing seniors in Victoria, making its Auslan-delivered Home Care Package under the My Aged Care program now available. In July the National Sign Language Program extended to include sign language interpreting and captioning services for health and medical appointments and Deaf Connect began delivering the services. The Department of Health and Aged Care provides the free service to support older deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people who aren’t eligible for the NDIS.
Amplifon announced strong growth in the first nine months of 2024 with revenues up 8% or $AU2.89 billion, allowing it to strengthen its presence in core markets and exceed 10,000 stores globally. GN’s interim report for the third quarter said its hearing division continued to gain significant market share leading to 10% organic revenue growth and the divisional profit margin increased to nearly 35%.
A new partnership between the Ear Science Institute Australia and the National Acoustic Laboratories brought together hearing researchers from across Australia to improve treatments for people with hearing issues. The partnership, announced in May, represented a collaboration of nearly 100 years of combined expertise in research, innovation and hearing healthcare.
Workforce and policies
The year’s hottest topic was Ahpra registration being among four options health ministers shortlisted as they consulted on the future of audiology regulation in Australia. A decision is expected in 2025 with health ministers now agreeing in principle to Ahpra registration for audiologists but still consulting.
Shortlisted options in the Queensland Health Consultation Paper Audiology RIS (regulatory impact statement) were current self-regulation, national registration of the entire audiology profession through the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), targeted regulation of practitioners offering paediatric diagnostic and cochlear implant care services, and jurisdictional registration requiring audiologists to register in their jurisdiction to practise.
In a major win for audiologists and speech pathologists, a landmark review released in November recommended they should be able to refer patients directly to ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists, by-passing GPs. It suggested this pathway if there was an underlying medical condition suspected as contributing to speech, hearing or auditory system issues the patient was experiencing, and medical treatment, including surgery, may be required. The ‘scope of practice’ report was commissioned by the Australian Government who is considering recommendations.
The Australasian College of Audiometry (AuCA) became the hearing industry’s newest training organisation, launching diploma and certificate courses, a course for workplace hearing tests and expanding services from Australia to New Zealand. AuCA was also instrumental in establishing a review of audiometry qualifications which began in October.
Another big issue was the Hearing Services Program (HSP) review which is ongoing. A summary of the consultation process showed most stakeholders supported proposed changes to HSP assessments including removing Audiological Case Management items. But major concerns remained, with most opposing proposed changes to fittings and follow-ups. Planned changes to remote controls were an area of concern with most opposed to these while half were unsure about only allowing two replacements per year over five years. Most supported plans to amalgamate client review and rehabilitation items and changes to assistive listening device supply, replacements and spare devices, plus eligibility criteria for fitting.
In October, a new independent organisation to promote ethical hearing service practice and handle complaints against audiologists and audiometrists launched. The Hearing Professional Conduct and Complaints Body replaced the previous AudA and ACAud Inc. HAASA Ethics Review Committees.
The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) released details of its plan to fast-track certain internationally qualified medical specialists into the health system without doing exams as part of reforms to alleviate workforce pressures. Maldistribution and shortages in the ENT workforce are ongoing with an MBA report revealing there were 566 otolaryngologists registered to practise, over half in two states.
Key events
More than 840 people travelled from around Australia and the world to attend the Australian College of Audiology’s national congress ACAud 2024 in Cairns in May.
The theme was ‘The heat is on – sustaining audiology in a changing climate’.
Audiology Australia (AudA) had a record attendance at The Sound Exchange’24 in Melbourne in May which featured workshops and masterclasses. AudA’s online conference in October was popular and will run every two years. People can register and gain CPD until 19 January.
The OMOZ (Otitis Media Australia) 2024 conference in Newcastle in August was a sold-out success attended by more than 300 people keen to hear the latest research and brainstorm ideas for improving ear and hearing health for children.
Fifty audiologists from around Australia and New Zealand attended Independent Audiologist Australia’s first in-person event post-COVID in Melbourne, the Audiology for Life! seminar.
Hearing Business Alliance ran seminars on strategies for business success over three days in February on the Gold Coast, attended by a record number of delegates, and over one day in Perth in July.
AuCA attended the New Zealand Audiological Society conference in Christchurch in August, where it launched its expansion to NZ. The Audiometry Nurses Association of Australia celebrated its 40th annual conference in Queanbeyan, NSW in October.
Peak bodies/education
Two professional accrediting bodies for hearing practitioners, the Australian College of Audiology (ACAud) and the Hearing Aid Audiology Society of Australia (HAASA) merged in April to become ACAud inc HAASA. This created an organisation of 1,005 members and was a boost for the future of audiometry. Mr Miguel Diaz became CEO in June.
The Hearing Health Sector Alliance re-elected Ms Jane MacDonald as chair, and elected a new deputy, Audiology Australia’s new CEO Ms Leanne Emerson.
AudA introduced changes to CPD requirements for members to simplify the professional development process by only having two categories and included a CPD dashboard to help members keep tally. It released a position statement on using AI scribes in audiology practice.
In a major coup, AudA won a bid to host the 39th World Congress of Audiology (WCA) in Sydney in May 2030. The International Society of Audiology named Sydney host city in October after AudA’s CEO Ms Leanne Emerson and president Dr Barbra Timmer made the bid at the WCA in Paris in September.
The University of Melbourne celebrated the 50th anniversary of its audiology degree, with a celebration attended by more than 180 guests, many alumni. From 12 students in the inaugural 1974 cohort, it has grown to match demand with 82 first year students in 2024.
Research, technology and therapies
In a pioneering breakthrough, doctors revealed in May that gene therapy had restored hearing in seven children with genetic deafness from the UK, the US and China. HPA revealed exclusively in October that the first Australian child had also received gene therapy for deafness in Sydney this year. Surgeon, Professor Catherine Birman, revealed details at the World Congress of Audiology in Paris.
Starkey launched on the Australian market a new hearing technology system using artificial intelligence to improve the experience of those with hearing loss. It said Genesis AI hearing aids analysed and optimised sound over 80 million times an hour, and audiologists were especially impressed with the device’s Neuro Processor which incorporates the industry’s first on-chip deep neural network (DNN) accelerator.
GN released its Beltone Serene hearing aids which it said were the industry’s first hearing aids to connect to Bluetooth LE Audio and revolutionary new Auracast broadcast audio while also supporting existing connectivity options such as hands-free calls for iPhone, iPad and one-way Android streaming.
Ear Science Institute Australia announced Australia’s first biobank to store tissue for genetic deafness therapies. Other Ear Science breakthroughs included developing a world-first prosthetic eardrum based on biomaterial from silkworms to repair chronic ruptured eardrums and MedChem Australia supporting an Ear Science project researching novel small molecules to treat sensorineural hearing loss.
A Macquarie University team proposed neural circuitry as a new theory on how humans hear, NextSense’s $75 million centre for innovation opened in August, and in September Macquarie University’s HEAR Centre became a WHO collaborating centre.
Hunter Medical Research Institute researcher Dr Guy Cameron started developing a model of human middle ear epithelium as a platform for transforming children’s ear disease research.
The Lancet Commission on dementia said hearing-loss was the equal biggest modifiable risk factor for dementia at a population level and an AIHW report found hearing loss was Australia’s fifth most common long term health condition.
The year’s most popular story in this field was Apple announcing its AirPods Pro2 had FDA approval to be used as hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss.
Neuromod said it planned to bring its tinnitus device Lenire to Australia, and The Bionics Institute in Melbourne developed a world first test to objectively measure tinnitus with a brain imaging technique using near-infrared light.
Spiral Therapeutics announced its world first clinical trial in Australia of a gel steroid injection into the round window membrane of the ear reported ‘significant reductions in vertigo frequency and severity’, in Ménière’s disease patients.
A Perth study found audiology-led follow-up clinics for post-grommet insertion were “a viable option” for most children who had the surgery, and UK research found people with sudden hearing loss who received steroids within seven days were five times more likely to fully recover their hearing than those not given steroids.
Awards and honours
A founding father of audiology, Dr Laurie Upfold, received an OAM in the King’s Birthday honours while Indigenous Newcastle ENT surgeon, Professor Kelvin Kong AM received the John Conley MD Lecture on Medical Ethics award at the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) annual meeting.
Brisbane audiologist Ms Vi Bui was named the Fred Hollows Humanitarian of the Year, and The Bionics Institute awarded its Visionary Award to cochlear implant pioneer Laureate Professor Graeme Clark AC for his “immense contributions to society.”
Hearing Australia awarded the 2024 Hearing Australia Lifetime Achievement Award to Ms Ann Porter AM, the founder and CEO of Aussie Deaf Kids.
Ear Science CEO Associate Professor Sandra Bellekom was nominated for BHP’s 2024 Western Australian of the Year award while Perth audiologist Ms Tamara Veselinović, whose research revealed high rates of hearing loss in Aboriginal infants in metropolitan areas, was a finalist in the WA Premier’s Science Awards.
Specsavers received major awards; in November it was named one of the world’s best workplaces when it ranked 16th in Fortune magazine’s World’s 25 Best Workplaces in 2024. In September Specsavers was sixth on the 2024 Top 10 Best Workplaces in Australia list, and it was ‘highly commended’ for hearing services in Australia and New Zealand by Reader’s Digest magazine in its 25th annual Trusted Brands awards survey. Specsavers Audiology Australia received the ‘highly commended’ award in the hearing services’ category for the third year running while Specsavers Audiology New Zealand was highly commended for the second time in 2024.
Inspirational people
We profiled some inspirational people going to extraordinary lengths to help others.
These included Auditory Processing Institute founder, Queensland audiologist Dr Angela Alexander, and Melbourne audiologist Mrs Yazdaneh Galt who both overcame adversity to shine. Galt has had an award-winning movie made about her life by her daughter.
Mildura audiologist Ms Jane MacDonald discussed advocating for the nation’s hearing health sector as chair of the HHSA and HBA CEO, and AudA CEO Ms Leanne Emerson discussed plans to grow Audiology Australia, unite the industry and raise the public profile of hearing health.
Dual Melbourne optometrist/audiologist Mr Lachlan Smith flies to remote areas and practises both professions to help Indigenous patients, Microtia Australia founder Ms Simone Cheadle assists parents and children nationwide, and reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr Joe Dusseldorp from Sydney performs 3D
ear implants.
World leading Ménière’s disease researcher Professor Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez moved from Spain to the University of Sydney to establish the Ménière-Neuroscience Laboratory at the Kolling Institute.
More reading
Conference coverage: Audiology Australia’s 2024 Online Conference a hit
Audiology, a lifelong passion: Report on IAA’s Melbourne business seminar 2024