Public hearing to discuss ear diseases in Indigenous Australians
Wednesday, 31 May, 2017
The Australian Parliament鈥檚 Health, Aged Care and Sport Committee will next week be holding a public hearing in Darwin as part of its Inquiry into the Hearing Health and Wellbeing of Australia.
Hearing loss and ear diseases are three times more prevalent among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than the general population. In particular, the incidence of otitis media (middle ear infection) is very high among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The committee will be discussing these issues with hearing experts including Dr Damien Howard, a psychologist and educator with over 30 years鈥� experience working in the field of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hearing health issues.
鈥淗earing loss among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children has been described as a 鈥榳edge鈥� preventing the closing of the gap,鈥� said committee chair Trent Zimmerman MP. 鈥淧ersistent ear infections can result in delayed language development, impact on a student鈥檚 ability to learn in the classroom and even lead to permanent hearing loss. The committee will be discussing with experts in Darwin how the prevalence of hearing loss can be reduced among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.鈥�
The public hearing will be held from 8鈥�11.10 am on Wednesday, 7 June at the Hilton Darwin and broadcast live at . For more information, click .
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