The HPCCB has written this guidance to audiologists and audiometrists to prompt them to learn more about Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, as well as how racism, power and privilege affects their interactions with Indigenous clients.
Audiologists and audiometrists have several responsibilities under the Code of Conduct for audiologists and audiometrists (the Code of Conduct) relating to cultural safety, racism and discrimination:
2.1 Members must provide hearing services in a respectful manner and not discriminate against clients, employees, colleagues, professional body employees or other healthcare workers. This includes the family members, spouses and/or carers of clients of other healthcare workers and professional body employees. Discrimination may include discriminating on the basis of age, sex, sexuality, race, religion or disability, but is not limited to those attributes.
2.3 Members must provide health services in a manner that is culturally sensitive to the needs of his or her clients.
7.6 Members shall respect, encourage, support and provide fair treatment and working conditions to students, interns, co-workers and employees.
Any refusal of an audiologist or audiometrist to provide culturally safe care, as defined by the complainant, is racism and discrimination.
The HPCCB, and former Ethics Review Committees, have handled a limited number of complaints where the complainant has experienced racism. In all cases, this has involved the complainant raising concerns that the hearing services they received were not culturally safe. However, the HPCCB recognises that there are many potential barriers to Indigenous people raising complaints with the HPCCB, so the incidence of complaints is unlikely to be a reflection of the true incidence of racism.
Respondents (i.e. the audiologists or audiometrists) in all cases received to date responded professionally and with maturity, learning from the process and committing to improving their hearing services through changing practices, reflecting on their own attitudes and biases, and/or implementing new procedures. These complaints were all therefore able to be resolved via informal resolution (see below under the About the HPCCB heading for more information on the informal resolution process).
The HPCCB adopts the definition of cultural safety used by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy (1):
“Cultural safety is determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities.
Culturally safe practise is the ongoing critical reflection of health practitioner knowledge, skills, attitudes, practising behaviours and power differentials in delivering safe, accessible and responsive healthcare free of racism.”
This means HPCCB is guided by the complainant as to what culturally safe care means to them, their kin and community. This HPCCB would respect the complainant’s reasons as to why the hearing service they received was not culturally safe. As such, there are no “standards” which define specific “approaches to culturally safe care” that the HPCCB would apply across all complaints. However, to the extent relevant as defined by the complainant, the HPCCB would consider any specific guidelines of relevance adopted by the professional bodies for people with similar definitions of cultural safety.
About the HPCCB
The independent Hearing Professional Conduct and Complaints Body Ltd (HPCCB) was established by Audiology Australia and the Australian College of Audiology Inc HAASA to increase the consistency of the management and investigation of breaches of the Code of Conduct for audiologists and audiometrists, and the provision of ethical and professional guidance.
Most complaints handled by the HPCCB resolved by a process called ‘informal resolution’ where the respondent is supported to reflect on their practice, improve their practice, and document this process in a written response. If the HPCCB is satisfied with the written response and that there is unlikely to be a future risk of harm to the public, the matter is closed. If the HPCCB had not been satisfied in any of these cases, then the matters could have been escalated to mediation or a formal investigation and hearing and possible recommendation of a sanction.
You can contact the HPCCB anonymously for information and guidance by calling 0475 245 635 or emailing ethicsofficer@hpccb.org.au
References
(1) Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, 2025. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy – Definition of cultural safety for the National Scheme. Available online at: https://www.ahpra.gov.au/About-Ahpra/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-Health-Strategy.aspx.