SpeakOut_April2014_FINAL_eCopy

From thePresident

Themomentumof theyear continues togrowaswe deliver this SpeakOut, suggesting that 2014will be oneof thebusiest andmost significant yearsyet for SpeechPathologyAustraliaand itsmembers.

By now youwill have received a copy of the StrategicPlan 2014–2016whichwill guide the Association over the next three years. The three strategic imperatives – Influence, Professional Standards, FutureReady – underpinnedby professionalism, excellence, client focus, and innovation provide a strong framework for the Association. The goals andobjectives reflect a professional environment that will undergo considerable change over the next few years. I hope that asmembers youwill be excitedby this plan andwill engagewithSPA inwhatever capacity you can to execute these goals. You told us in your feedbackwhat youwanted, and I believe that this plan reflects your collective input. The success of its implementation relies heavily on your engagement with theAssociation at local, Branch, and national levels. A very successful global launch of the ICP2014 occurred late February through a GoogleHangout with the participation of representatives from six speech pathology associations. I hope thatmany of youwatched this event live, or have since been able to view it. Therewas considerable interest around theworldwith 368people signing up for the Hangout, 167people live-viewing the event and over 400 viewing it onYouTube. TheHangout resulted in over 500,000 tweets, a classic example of the power of social media, and the extraordinary reach of this form of media. With the ICP2014 now officially launched, we must now operationalise our activities for the year. To this end, theWeek of IncreasedAction (5–11May) will highlight the goals of ICP2014 around theworld and heighten awareness of communication disability. SPAwill run a daily email campaign to invitemembers tobe involved during thisweek of international effort, aswell as toprovide news of activities around the world.We encourage our large student cohort to exercise their enthusiasm, intelligence, and creativeminds to ‘spread theword’ about communication disorders during thisweek and

throughout the year. SpeechPathologyWeek in August will have a renewed focus onNation for Communication, our national campaign for the ICP2014. TheSenate Inquiry has been initiatedwith over 310 submissions presented to theCommittee, an excellent outcome for this very important and strategic initiative. The planning for hearings and site visits around the country by theSenate Committee is underway and all memberswill be informed of this program in due course. applications. These grants provide seed funding to enable ourmembers todevelop and initiate research projects thatmay ultimately lead to larger projects and contribute to the evidence base of the profession. I strongly encourage you to apply for these grants to support your research. As part of SPA’s commitment toProfessional Support and theMentoringProgram, Meredith Prain, Professional Support Advisor, will contribute a regular column to SpeakOut beginningwith this issue. This is an important program and one that I am sure all members will be keen to hearmore about. In further news fromNational Office, wewelcome two new staff members: CathyOlsson, Project Consultant, Disability, andDr RonelleHutchinson, Manager, Policy andAdvocacy. Includedwith this edition of SpeakOut is the 2013Annual Report that will be presented at theAnnual General Meeting at theNational Conference inMay. I hope thatmany of youwill attend theConference andwill take the time to join theBoard of Directors, our CEO, and National Office staff at theAGM to review the considerable achievements of theAssociation in 2013. I look forward to seeingmany of you there. It is that time of the year againwhen the ResearchGrant Program is open for

DeborahTheodoros National President

SpeakOut April 2014

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