December2013_SpeakOut_web

From our President

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

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 .

Speak Out December 2013

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