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From the President

Welcome to this final edition of Speak Out for 2014. What a momentous year it has been for the Association! With the Senate Inquiry, the International Communication Project 2014 (ICP2014), and the strengthening of Certified Practising Speech Pathologist status and the mentoring program, significant activity has centred around two of our Strategic imperatives – Influence and Professional Standards. in the Asia-Pacific region. I am delighted to announce that funding was awarded to CABDICO – The OIC Project in Cambodia and to the Trinh Foundation for activities in Vietnam. We wish these organisations every success in their important work in these countries and look forward to reporting on the outcomes of their projects in Speak Out in the future. To this end, the Association invited applications for funding from two not-for-profit organisations

As you will read in this edition, considerable activity in lobbying, policy, and advocacy has occurred as a follow-up to the Senate Inquiry, and in response to Federal and State government consultative processes and local issues. Gail Mulcair, National Office staff, other Directors, and myself continue to engage in meetings with politicians and their advisors to gain support for the Senate Inquiry recommendations. Over 20 written submissions have been made in response to consultative processes across a wide range of pertinent topics including oral and mental health, child and youth health, a code of conduct for health workers, and child care and early childhood learning. A submission to the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme outlining the profession’s stance on inclusion in this Scheme was also made to the review committee. You can view these submissions on the Association website. State and Territory Branches continue to be active and creative in raising awareness of the plight of people with communication and swallowing disorders through high profile events and digital media. Congratulations must go to members of the Tasmanian Branch who organised a highly effective reception at Government House in Hobart hosted by the Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania. Numerous influential members of the justice, health and education systems were in attendance to acknowledge and support the work of our Association and its members. The short film produced by Tasmanian members is further testament to the impact that we can all have on raising awareness across Australia. SPA is committed to supporting developing countries to train speech pathologists and establish sustainable services for their people.

Private practitioners are a large component of our membership base. A review of activities during 2014 in this sector is outlined in this edition of Speak Out . I draw your attention to the array of resources now available on the SPA website for private practice members, the seminars that will be conducted in 2015, and the availability of an advisor in National Office to assist members with their queries. The ICP2014 is now coming to a close. The range of activities undertaken across the country under this banner has been fantastic. I am pleased to inform you that the ICP will continue into 2015 and we are working with our global partners in this initiative to determine the themes and activities for next year. My sincere thanks to everyone for their creativity and tireless efforts in making the ICP2014 such a success across the country. Congratulations to all of the new 2014 graduates in speech pathology. Welcome to the profession! We look forward to engaging with you throughout your careers. Your contribution to the Association, no matter how large or small, will make a difference in ensuring that services to clients with communication and swallowing disorders is optimised. Collectively, we will enhance the professional lives of all speech pathologists across Australia. As 2014 comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of myself, the Board of Directors, and staff in National Office to thank you all for your contributions to the Association and to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy holidays! The National Office and Branch staff wish you a happy and safe holiday and festive season. National Office will be closed from 12 noon on Wednesday 24 December 2014 and will re-open Monday 5 January 2015 .

Deborah Theodoros National President

Speak Out December 2014

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