Speak Out OCTOBER 2019 V3 DIGITAL EDITION

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Audiology Canada (SAC), Speech Pathology Australia, became a founding member of the International Communication Project 2014 (and in 2015, simply the International Communication Project). The International Communication Project 2014 made its presence known by launching itself online via a “Google Hangout”. The hangout – titled Raising Awareness of Communication Disorders as a Global Health Issue – launched a year of activities in support of the project. In turn, in August, the Association’s Speech Pathology Week was themed Nation for Communication and highlighted communication as a basic human right. Presentations on the objectives and work of the International Communication Project were also made at the International Association of Logopaedics and Phoniatrics Congress in 2016 and 2019. In June 2018, following a formal application to the United Nations, Speech Pathology Australia secured Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Accreditation status to the Conference of States Parties (CoSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD). This new status enabled the Association to send delegations to the CRPD CoSP, participate in UN meetings and the Civil Society forum concerning the implementation of the Convention, and host side events at future CRPD Conferences of States Parties. It was with this newly established status that the Association was able in June 2019, in cooperation with the RCSLT, ASHA and the ICP, to co-host a side-event as part of the activities surrounding the 12th session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York. Due to the Association’s lead role, the side event titled 'People with Communication disabilities Speak Up for Inclusion and Participation: How the implementation of the CRPD and SDGs can support this right', was sponsored by the Australian Government. The Association’s international activities have not been limited to engagement through the forum of the ICP. The Association is a member of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics and attends the Association’s triannual congress every three years. The Mutual Recognition of Professional Association Credentials Agreement was first agreed upon in November 2004 including the signatories of, Speech Pathology Australia, ASHA, SAC and the RCSLT. Subsequently in 2008, the agreement was re-negotiated to include both the IASLT and NZSTA. At the ASHA Congress in Los Angeles in 2017, a further revised Mutual Recognition Agreement was signed by the six-member country associations. The Agreement remains dynamic, with ongoing review of each countries’ standards and training, alongside beneficial collaborations and sharing of resources. Structure The Australian College of Speech Therapists was inaugurated in 1949 as the official national body to represent and train the speech pathology profession in Australia. For most of its history since the late 1940s, the Association was served by the same organisational and governance structure. While gradual refinement and specific changes have occurred, it was in 2011 that the Association’s Board of Management or Council (the precursor to the Board of Directors) identified the

need for a comprehensive review of the organisation’s constitution to ensure it reflected best practice. Consultation was undertaken with governance experts and the Association’s membership throughout 2012. It resulted in a set of specific recommendations for changes to underpin a modern and responsive governance structure for the organisation going forward. The most fundamental of the proposed changes related to the way the Board

of Management (Council) was appointed and how it governed the Association, along with important changes to remove procedural and operational matters from the constitution that could be better dealt with through by-laws and/or the Association’s policies and procedures. At the Association’s Annual General Meeting on 24 June 2013, members endorsed all the recommended changes. In summary, the Council became the Board, Councillors became Directors,

and the Association’s governance structure was replaced by a skills-based model, founded on the Australian Institute of Company Directors best practice principles. Other amendments, as part of this historic reform, included changes to voting and proxy instruments, voting and non-voting members, clarification of definitions, and a simplification of the language of the constitution. While the calendar year was retained as the basis for the membership year, flexibility was introduced to allow a move to a financial year in the future (something that subsequently occurred in 2018). Communication From February 2010, the Association’s member magazine, Speak Out , became bimonthly, with National eNews keeping members up-to-date between publications. As an aside, in 2019, just over 75 per cent of Association members choose to receive Speak Out digitally – a huge shift considering that in December 2009 every member was receiving their one colour (Blue) copy of the publication by post. Over time, Speak Out has been supplemented by new and different communication channels. In June 2013, the Association launched eight online “closed” member-only Facebook communities - created with the purpose of providing members receive support from their peers. There are today, more than 4100 members actively engaged across 17 communities. While Speak Out has gone from strength to strength (e.g. the number of pages, growth of advertising, and with a forum to share information and views, collaborate their professional networks and

The handwritten minutes of the 1959 AGM of the Australian College of Speech Therapists. And below, the changing logo through the decades.

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October 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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