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association news

Highlights from the Senate Inquiry Hearings – Our Profession Represented The Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee held public hearings for the Inquiry into the Prevalence of different types of speech, language and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia throughout June. Following are the individuals and organisations who provided evidence to the Senate Committee, with some particular highlights captioned.

Melbourne, 11 June • Speech Pathology Australia

We feel that government can assist in improving data governance, raising awareness, identifying problems earlier and increasing access to treatment in order to improve the lives of over a million Australians who suffer from speech, language or swallowing disorders – Prof. Deborah Theodoros, Speech Pathology Australia (Melbourne)

• Associate Professor Pam Snow, Monash University

• Professor Sheena Reilly and colleagues, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

• CleftPals Victoria, Royal Children’s Hospital

• Mary Fleming, Bernadette Feeney and Narelle Anger, Child and Youth Mental Health services Senators also visited Parkville College (Juvenile Justice Centre) and North Melbourne Primary School.

Sydney, 12 June • Northcott

• Telethon Kids Institute

• Dr Julia Starling, The University of Sydney

Professor Snow, I am interested in the process of interacting speech pathology and the curriculum of teachers. You touch on it and say that perhaps it is not as strong as it should be. What is the history of that? I know, before I even ask, that it is going to vary from state to state. What do we do about that? – Senator Clare Moore (Melbourne )

• Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT)

• Independent Living Centre of NSW

• Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health

• Western Sydney Speech Pathology

Senators also visited the Australian Stuttering Research Centre at the University of Sydney.

Even though, to all intents and purposes, I am a successful communicator who has had access to a decent mainstream education, I still feel my opportunities and quality of life are impacted by the fact that I am non-verbal. But I am using this opportunity to ask for more support for communication specialists, including speech pathologists who can help facilitate greater education opportunities. That will give those of us who have little or no speech a greater opportunity to be heard, thus giving us agency over our lives and our ability to contribute to society at large. – Georgia Cranko (Sydney)

Whilst speech pathology services are costly and long

term, it is cost-effective to look at providing these services which will ultimately provide not only a better life for the individual but a more productive and healthy Australia – Julie Carey, Western Sydney Speech Pathology (Sydney)

4 Speak Out August 2014

Speech Pathology Australia