Speak Out OCTOBER 2019 V3 DIGITAL EDITION

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The Communication Milestone Poster Resource, developed by the Association’s Queensland Branch with support from the Association’s National Office, has been one of the most popular materials developed for parents and carers. The resource aims to assist parents and carers to find a speech pathologist if they are unsure about whether their child is having difficulty with his or her speech, language and communication. First Nation In recent years the Association has made efforts to engage with its First Nation members and the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. In 2014, the Association was a signatory to the 'Close the Gap Statement of Intent' with regard to achieving equality of health status and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians by 2030. In 2015, the Association was one of 117 non-government organisations to take part in the launch of Recognise Health, an initiative of the Lowitja Institute, to promote understanding about the important link between health, wellbeing, and constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. In October 2017, the Association established, and then held, the first meeting of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee. Membership of the committee commenced with, among others, two speech pathologists with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, a speech pathology student with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, representatives and leaders from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and a consumer from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. Then, in February 2018, following cultural awareness training, the Association’s Reconciliation Action Plan Committee convened. Tasked with drafting the Association’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). In June 2019, the Association’s RAP was approved by Reconciliation Australia and is to be formally launched in the last quarter of 2019.

The closing paragraph of the Apology notes that the Association looks “forward to contributing to a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have timely access to culturally safe and responsive speech pathology services, led and implemented by communities, and with equitable health, wellbeing and educated outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” The future What is the future for the speech pathology profession in Australia? In November 2015, the Association commenced its ambitious Speech Pathology 2030 – making futures happen project with the clear aim of trying to answer that question. The year long, landmark project sought to define a vision for the future of speech pathology. This project actively engaged the speech pathology profession and its clients. Importantly, a perspective from beyond the profession was pursued from a range of thought leaders and consumers. Their perspectives were then married with input from speech pathologists (members and non-members) and clients. This view was supplemented by “conversations” (small gatherings) organised to discuss what the future looked like. A final forum was conducted at the Association’s 2016 National Conference, which helped to round out the process and refine the report. It is estimated that over 1000 speech pathologist were involved over the course of the 2030 project. On 11 August 2016, the then Federal Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Alistair McEwin, formally launched the Speech Pathology 2030 report at an event before 200 guests at the National Gallery of Victoria. The event was streamed live across the internet to several events organised by the Association’s state Branches. As the Association continues its growth trajectory and strengthens its work in advocating for and supporting the profession and its membership, we reflect on the words of one of the Association’s longest standing members, Ruth Porteous. Ruth Porteous was one of the first students to attend the Australian College of Speech Therapists (founded in 1949), Ruth attended the College’s first diploma course in 1950. Ruth died in 2015 but when addressing the Association’s national conference in 2003 said, “The past is not a foreign place, but the source of all our futures – not past historic, but present continuous.”

The finalisation of the Reconciliation Action Plan follows the Association’s Formal Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference in Brisbane in May 2019. A formal apology arising from the aspiration outlined in the Association’s landmark Speech Pathology 2030 report. The report chartered a future where the speech pathology profession provided access to timely services for all, delivered client and communities driven services, collaborated on professional partnerships, and had a diverse and dynamic workforce. In striving to reach these aspirations, the Association recognised that the profession could not achieve these goals without partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Peoples. In

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The Association's formal apology was conducted at the 2019 National Conference in Brisbane.

recognising that truly collaborative partnerships are based on shared decisions and power, the Association acknowledged the harms caused by past ways of working and committed to forging a future that is truly collaborative of all Australians.

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Gail Mulcair Chief Executive Officer

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October 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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