Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience disproportionately higher rates of ear disease and associated hearing loss, with greater frequency and severity, than non-Indigenous children.

Queensland’s Deadly Ears Program (the Program) aims to reduce the rates and impact of ear disease and hearing loss on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by providing a range of frontline services. These include building capability of local primary and allied-health services in its partner communities, as well as direct clinical services with children and families through the delivery of ear, nose and throat (ENT), audiology, speech pathology and occupational therapy services.

The Program provides access to tertiary specialist ear and hearing services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from communities across rural and remote Queensland. Referrals into the Program target children and young people whose middle ear disease and associated hearing loss has not been responsive to primary health management. To the end of 2019, services were generally provided twice a year in 11 rural and remote communities or regions across Queensland.

This report presents a summary of the ENT and audiological services provided by the Deadly Ears Program between 2007 and 2019 and an overview of change in ear and hearing health for children receiving services between 2015 and 2019. It focuses on children and young people’s experiences with ear conditions and associated hearing loss. It also looks at variations between regions, referrals to and from the Program, and outcomes of children and young people who received multiple services from the Program.