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Speak Out December 2013 3
W elcome to the final edition of
Speak Out for 2013.
This issue heralds the launch of
the Australian International Communication
Project 2014 campaign, Nation for
Communication. Thanks to the efforts of
Jo Wood and the team at National Office,
our Australian campaign will be an exciting
and influential one. The campaign relies
on Communication Champions to raise
awareness of the ICP2014 in their local
communities. Starting a conversation about
communication disorders may involve as
much or as little time as members feel able
to give. Jo and the team have put together
a comprehensive campaign toolkit to
assist you in spreading the message about
communication, and I encourage you to get
involved.
The power of a collective speech pathology
voice has been clearly demonstrated by our
members in Western Australia who lobbied
their state government, and were successful
in the creation of 10 new speech pathology
positions to support students in schools.
Congratulations to the Western Australian
Branch.
This year has seen the introduction of many
new initiatives within Speech Pathology
Australia, notably the new constitution, and
a new Strategic Plan for 2014–2016. As of
January 2014, SPA’s Council will be become
our Board, and new Directors of the Board
will be appointed according to expertise and
skills as opposed to state representation. The
new Strategic Plan is quickly taking shape and
will be available to all members following the
February Board meeting. This plan focuses
on three strategic imperatives: Influence,
Professional Standards, and Future Ready.
A new Board structure and governance
process will support and drive these strategic
imperatives. This Speak Out calls for
nominations for Directors of the Board, and I
encourage those of you who have an interest
in these positions to apply.
At the end of 2013, Professor Sharynne
McLeod will step down as editor of the
International Journal of Speech-Language
Pathology after nearly 10 years in this
position. On behalf of SPA, I wish to extend
our deepest appreciation to Sharynne for
her extraordinary expertise and dedication
in her role as the editor of IJSLP. Due to
her editorial expertise, she has steered
the journal towards a position as a leading
international journal in speech pathology,
providing readers with high quality research
articles and forums for discussion.
Associate Professor Kirrie Ballard will take
up the editorship of the journal and we look
forward to working with her to continue
building upon the strengths of IJSLP.
It is membership renewal time again and
I encourage all members to invite their
colleagues and friends who might not yet be
members to join the Association. Ongoing
and future benefits to all members can
be best achieved through strong support
and engagement of members. There are
now just over 5800 members of SPA. Let’s
overtake the 6000 member milestone for
the start of the ICP2014.
As the festive season is soon to be upon us,
I would like to take this opportunity to wish
you all a restful summer break, and a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Deborah Theodoros
President
From our President
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 Tuesday 24 December 2013
and will re-open Thursday 2 January 2014.