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Close theGap–SigningStatement of Intent

On 20March 2014 it was not onlyNational Close theGapDay, but also the day that Indigenous Allied HealthAustralia (IAHA), AlliedHealth Professions Australia (AHPA), AHPA’s 18member organisations and four affiliate organisations signed a Statement of Intent towork together to achieve equality in health status and life expectancy betweenAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians by year 2030. SpeechPathology Australiawas very pleased tobe signatory to the Statement of Intent as one of the member organisations of AHPA. RepresentedbyGail Mulcair, CEO, SpeechPathology Australiamade a commitment to joint activities that will build and strengthen the allied healthworkforce tomeet the complex healthcare needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As Chair of AHPA, Professor Lyn Littlefield stated, “this includes increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people participating in the allied healthworkforce and strengthening the cultural responsiveness of all allied health students and graduates”.

Patricia Thomas (National President, AOA), Senator FionaNash, SpeechPathology AustraliaCEOGail Mulcair andProf Lyn Littlefield (Chair, AHPA) at theAHPAStatement of Intent signing ceremony, held onNational Close theGapDay at Parliament House, Canberra.

SpeechPathology Australia looks forward toworking alongsideAHPA and the IAHA on this important initiative.

The signing ceremonywas held at Parliament House inCanberra and waswitnessedby theSocial Justice CommissionerMickGooda andSenator theHon. FionaNash, AssistantMinister for Health.

GAILMULCAIR Chief ExecutiveOfficer

ICP2014officially launchedon Friday21February,withSPA PresidentDebTheodoros (left) takingpart in theGoogleHangout discussionabout theglobal scale of communicationdisorderswith theheadsof sixof theworld's speechpathologyorganisations. Checkout #ICP2014 orwatch it via www.communication2014.com . Left:Checkout theRCSLT's VoiceBoxworthywinner Jack Johnsonwithcomedianand #ICP2014 supporter LeeMack. VoiceBox isa joint initiativeof theRoyal Collegeof Speechand LanguageTherapistsandThe CommunicationTrust anduses joke telling to raiseawarenessof the importanceof communication. Checkout Jack’swinning jokevia our Facebookpage !

SPAonlineupdate

SPAFacebookandTwitterhighlights fromFebruary toApril 2014 included...

Left: SPAstaff celebrated theNational StrokeFoundation's launchof theStroke

SolidarityString duringApril. The

stringsymbolises the connectionbetween people touchedby stroke.Wearing it showsweareunited andpart of theglobal movement tostop stroke–Wear it. Show it. Share it. #fightstroke #strokesolidarity

8 SpeakOut April 2014

SpeechPathology Australia