Regional Queensland
Regional recruitment specialist for Queensland employers, from Cairns to Toowoomba and Mount Isa. See how hard each region is to hire in, and how we help.
Audiologist recruitment for regional employers
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help hearing clinics, hospitals and ENT services, paediatric and community services across regional Australia hire audiologists, from provisional practitioners finishing supervision to senior clinicians and clinic leads. Professional-body membership, the Hearing Services Program and the travel are part of the brief from the start.
Audiologist hiring at a glance
Audiologist is rated in shortage nationally for 2026, and it is a small workforce, so each regional vacancy draws on a short list of candidates.1,2
- national rating for Audiologist (ANZSCO 252711) in 2026
- Shortage
- Rated S (shortage) nationally on the ANZSCO 2022 sheet.1
- people employed as audiologists
- 2,600
- Australia, 2021, 6-digit occupation count.2
- of job ads for audiologists and speech pathologists/therapists were for regional areas
- 33%
- 309 of 944 ads placed in a major city or regional area, three months to September 2026.3
What does an audiologist do, and how is audiology regulated?
Audiologists provide diagnostic assessment and rehabilitation for hearing problems. They run and interpret audiometric tests, distinguish between types of hearing loss, prescribe hearing aids and teach patients to use them, and plan counselling, speech reading and other rehabilitation programs.2
Audiology is not yet registered through Ahpra. It currently relies on professional-body certification. In September 2025 health ministers agreed to bring audiology into the national registration scheme, and Audiology Australia expects that change by 2030 at the earliest.5
For now the practical test is the Hearing Services Program. Audiologists delivering program services must be qualified practitioners, which means an Australian master's degree in clinical audiology (or equivalent), an approved membership with Audiology Australia or the Australian College of Audiology incorporating HAASA, and an active QP number. Provisional practitioners work under a supervision arrangement and cannot hold a QP number.6
Which memberships and checks does an audiologist need in each state?
Professional-body membership is national. Each state runs its own check for work with children, and because audiologists are not Ahpra-registered, Queensland's exemption for registered health practitioners does not apply: health services to children need a blue card there.7
Professional standing and each jurisdiction's check for work with children, as published by the issuers on 1 November 2026.
| State or territory | Registration or membership | Check for work with children |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | No Ahpra registration yet; Hearing Services Program work needs QP status through Audiology Australia or ACAud incorporating HAASA6 | Working with Children Check, Office of the Children's Guardian8 |
| Victoria | No Ahpra registration yet; professional-body membership | Working with Children Clearance9 |
| Queensland | No Ahpra registration yet; professional-body membership | Blue card needed for health services to children7 |
| Western Australia | No Ahpra registration yet; professional-body membership | Working with Children Check, Department of Communities10 |
| South Australia | No Ahpra registration yet; professional-body membership | Working with Children Check, Department of Human Services11 |
| Tasmania | No Ahpra registration yet; professional-body membership | Registration to Work with Vulnerable People12 |
| Northern Territory | No Ahpra registration yet; professional-body membership | Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card)13 |
| Australian Capital Territory | No Ahpra registration yet; professional-body membership | Working with Vulnerable People registration14 |
What does an audiologist earn?
The Health Professionals and Support Services Award lists audiology at AQF level 9. From 1 October 2026 the full-time minimum for a first-year audiologist is $1,444.90 a week, rising to $1,755.00 from the seventh year at Level 1.4 The award covers health-industry employers and any employer engaging a health professional in its classifications; employees under a state public sector award are outside it.4
No separate earnings figure is published for audiologists. The national median for the wider audiologists and speech pathologists/therapists group was $2,003 a week, or $53 an hour, in May 2025.2 If the role carries a sales or device target, tell us how it is set and paid, and we include it in the brief.
Health Professional employee Level 1, AQF level 9, full-time minimum rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 October 2026.4
| Experience at Level 1 | Minimum a week | Minimum an hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $1,444.904 | $38.02 |
| 7th year and after | $1,755.00 | $46.18 |
Where are audiologists in demand?
Job ads are published for the audiologists and speech pathologists/therapists group, not for audiologists alone. The group averaged 970 ads a month in the three months to September 2026, against 1,114 a year earlier, with New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland carrying most of them.15
Regional ads were broadly steady at 309 a month, compared with 308 a year earlier, while major-city ads fell from 749 to 635. Regional areas now account for 33% of the group's ads with a location, against 29% for all jobs.3
Online job ads for audiologists and speech pathologists/therapists by state and territory, three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier.15
| State or territory | Job ads a month, September 2026 | September 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 27515 | 278 |
| Victoria | 253 | 313 |
| Queensland | 207 | 259 |
| Western Australia | 116 | 129 |
| South Australia | 51 | 58 |
| Tasmania | 26 | 29 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 24 | 19 |
| Northern Territory | 17 | 28 |
Which audiology roles do we recruit?
Open a setting for the work, the professional standing and what to put in your brief.
Hearing clinics
Audiologists for independent and network hearing clinics.
- The work
- Hearing assessments, prescribing and fitting hearing aids, and teaching clients to use them.2
- Program services
- Hearing Services Program work needs a qualified practitioner with an approved membership and an active QP number; the employer requests the QP number through the program portal.6
- Award position
- Private clinics are health-industry employers under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award.4
- What to tell us
- Clinic locations and visiting sites, the client mix, any device or revenue target, and whether a provisional practitioner can be supervised.
Hospital and diagnostic audiology
Audiologists for hospitals, ENT practices and diagnostic services.
- The work
- Administering and interpreting a wide range of audiometric tests, alongside other medical and behavioural data, to locate the site of a hearing problem.2
- Qualification
- Ask for a master's degree in clinical audiology (or equivalent), the qualification the Hearing Services Program sets for audiologists.6
- Regulation
- National registration is coming but not expected before 2030, so check membership status with the professional body for now.5
- What to tell us
- The test battery and equipment, theatre or ENT clinic work, on-call or outreach, and the referral base.
Paediatric and community audiology
Audiologists for children's hearing services and community programs.
- The work
- Assessing children's hearing and planning rehabilitation programs with families.2
- Checks
- Each state's check for work with children applies; in Queensland, health services to children need a blue card because audiologists are not Ahpra-registered.7
- Shortage
- Audiologist is rated in shortage nationally for 2026.1
- What to tell us
- Age groups, school and outreach visits, the travel involved, and any newborn or early childhood program work.
How we help you hire an audiologist
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Supervision, outreach and relocation
If the role includes outreach clinics, tell us how often, how far and what vehicle you provide. If you can supervise a provisional practitioner, say so, because it widens the pool to recent graduates.
We search first among audiologists who already live in or have ties to your region, then among those planning a move. Relocation help and housing support matter most in that second group. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for an audiology role in the regions?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us your professional-body membership and QP status, the settings and client groups you have worked with, and where you would like to work. Provisional and experienced audiologists are welcome, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next audiologist hire
Tell us the role, the setting, the location and your start date.
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.
A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Do audiologists need to be registered with Ahpra?
Not yet. Audiology relies on professional-body certification, and health ministers agreed in September 2025 to bring it into national registration, expected by 2030 at the earliest.5 Hearing Services Program work already needs qualified practitioner status through Audiology Australia or ACAud incorporating HAASA.6 Hire Australia builds this into the brief and asks every candidate.
What is a qualified practitioner under the Hearing Services Program?
An audiologist with an Australian master's degree in clinical audiology (or equivalent), an approved membership category with Audiology Australia or the Australian College of Audiology incorporating HAASA, and an active QP number. Provisional practitioners need a supervision arrangement and cannot hold a QP number.6 Hire Australia asks each candidate about their membership and QP status; you confirm the certificate.
What does an audiologist earn under the award?
From 1 October 2026, where the Health Professionals and Support Services Award covers the role, a full-time audiologist at AQF level 9 earns at least $1,444.90 a week in the first year and $1,755.00 from the seventh year.4 The median for the wider audiologists and speech pathologists/therapists group was $2,003 a week in May 2025.2 Hire Australia benchmarks your offer against both.
Are audiologists hard to find for regional roles?
Yes. Audiologist is rated in shortage nationally for 2026,1 and only 2,600 people were employed as audiologists in 2021.2 Hire Australia starts with audiologists who have ties to your area, then reaches those planning a move, and tells you early how many suitable candidates the search turns up.
What does it cost to use Hire Australia?
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same terms apply to every audiology role Hire Australia recruits, from provisional practitioners to clinic leads.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.
Sources (15)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (ANZSCO 2022 sheet). National ratings for 6-digit ANZSCO 2022 occupations, October 2026. S shortage, R regional shortage, NS no shortage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (occupation descriptions, earnings and employment). Median full-time earnings: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national; 4-digit occupation groups. Employment: February 2026, trend. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by remoteness (major cities and regional), September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026; SA4 regions grouped as major city or regional. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 [MA000027], clause 17 and Schedule B. Rates from 1 October 2026 (PR814029), as in the pay guide of 22 October 2026. Coverage: clause 4; state public sector awards excluded. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Audiology Australia, Audiology regulation under Ahpra (updates September 2025 to May 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Hearing Services Program practitioner requirements (last updated 3 August 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Blue Card Services, Queensland Government, Blue cards for health, counselling and support services (last updated 19 August 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Office of the Children's Guardian, Working with Children Check. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Working with Children Check Victoria, Victorian Government, Working with Children Check (Working with Children Clearance). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Communities, Government of Western Australia, Department of Communities (WA), Working with Children Check (last updated 22 September 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Human Services, South Australia, SA.GOV.AU, Screening checks (Working with Children Check; last updated 29 June 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Justice, Tasmania, Department of Justice (Tasmania), Registration to Work with Vulnerable People. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- SAFE NT, Northern Territory Government, NT.GOV.AU, Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card): apply and renew. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Access Canberra, ACT Government, Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) scheme. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026 (released 21 October 2026), rounded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑