About the Office of Hearing Services

The Office of Hearing Services (the Office) is responsible for managing and administering the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (the Program).

The Office aims to reduce the incidence and consequences of avoidable hearing loss in the Australian community and provide access to high quality hearing services and devices.
Currently one in six Australians is affected by hearing loss and this is expected to increase to one in every four Australians by 2050. ¹ Hearing loss reduces the ability to communicate and participate in social situations and can affect a person’s education and employment opportunities. Unless preventive action is taken, avoidable hearing loss, especially in young people and people in the workforce, will also increase. Given the expected growth in the demand for hearing services, the Government is focused on improving accessibility of hearing services for the most vulnerable people in society.

In 2012-2013 the Office expects to assess over 316,000 applications for hearing service vouchers to obtain free hearing rehabilitation and aids from a national network of public and private Contracted Service Providers. It also expects to respond to over 150,000 calls from clients and hearing practitioners regarding eligibility, entitlements, and program information.

The Office provides:

call centre services for clients and providers;
access to essential services for clients in exceptional clinical circumstances
a complaints management process;
client voucher applications processing;
management of Contracted Service Providers ; as well as the memorandum of understanding with Australian Hearing Services, and device manufacturers;
audit and compliance activities with regard to the Contracted Service Providers and sites;
investment in the Hearing Loss Prevention Program (HLPP);
secretariat support to the Ministerially appointed Hearing Services Consultative Committee on emerging hearing health policy issues, and
policy advice to the Government to inform the strategic direction of hearing loss prevention.

The Office is also in the process of developing an online portal to allow the electronic lodgement of voucher applications and to improve clients’ access to information. To keep up to date on the process please view. What’s new .

Additional information on the Office can be found in Outcome 7 of the Department of Health and Ageing’s (the Department) Annual Report. Annual Reports.

The Annual Report provides a detailed description of the Department’s activities during 2010-11, reporting against planned outcomes and performance indicators identified in the 2010-11 Health and Ageing Portfolio Budget Statements.
_{¹ Access Economics & Cooperative Research Centre for Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Innovation (Australia) & Victorian Deaf Society, 2006. Listen hear! the economic impact and cost of hearing loss in Australia: a report by Access Economics Pty Ltd CRC for Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Innovation: Vicdeaf, East Melbourne.}

Hearing Services Program Contacts

If you are having any problems downloading attached content or viewing links on this page please email: Office of Hearing Services.