Closing The Gap.

Addressing the hearing health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the criminal justice system.

APR 2024

There is a pressing need to specifically address the high rates of hearing loss among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in contact with the criminal justice system, with rates as high as 80-95% in some communities.

In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

The Australian Law Reform Commission (2017) report Pathways to Justice–Inquiry into the Incarceration Rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, estimated that the annual economic burden of the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was nearly $8 billion, with that figure expected to rise to over $20 billion without appropriate intervention.

As well as the enormous economic burden to society and particularly First Nations communities, Australia’s commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are currently being neglected, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with hearing loss experiencing unlawful discrimination regularly.

Our justice system remains ineffective in addressing this population’s complex needs and vulnerabilities.

This report, first published in 2022 and updated in 2024, aims to provide evidence of the perpetual cycle that exists between childhood ear disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and how it impacts the disproportionally higher rates of incarceration for this population and makes recommendations accordingly.

Read our report, Hearing Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the criminal justice system APR 2024.