2 September 2015 We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present. We acknowledge the challenge that faces Indigenous leaders and families to overcome the unacceptably high levels of ear health issues among first Australians. Life threatening danger to children from button batteries Severe complications can develop within two hours if a young child was to swallow a coin lithium battery, such as those used in hearing aids and a range of other products. Australian Hearing privatisation would be damaging to deaf children, say families "My kids are in their twenties, but if I had a baby tomorrow, you really are in uncharted waters and this adds a whole lot more uncertainty for families who really need that." Willing to Work The Australian Human Rights Commission is conducting an inquiry into employment discrimination against older Australians and Australians with disability. Nominate this week The 2015 National Disability Awards give Australians the chance to celebrate the people and organisations that have made a positive impact on the lives of people with disability. Hearing Awareness Week Volunteers held events last week in all parts of the nation because they are passionate about spreading the message that hearing is precious and fragile. Our thanks to the major sponsor Office of Australian Hearing.
Transcript
2 September 2015
We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present. We acknowledge the challenge that faces Indigenous leaders and families to overcome the unacceptably high levels of ear health issues among first Australians.
Life threatening danger to children from button batteries Severe complications can develop within two hours if a young child was to swallow a coin lithium battery, such as those used in hearing aids and a range of other products.
Australian Hearing privatisation would be damaging to deaf children, say families "My kids are in their twenties, but if I had a baby tomorrow, you really are in uncharted waters and this adds a whole lot more uncertainty for families who really need that."
Willing to Work The Australian Human Rights Commission is conducting an inquiry into employment discrimination against older Australians and Australians with disability.
Nominate this week The 2015 National Disability Awards give Australians the chance to celebrate the people and organisations that have made a positive impact on the lives of people with disability.
Hearing Awareness Week Volunteers held events last week in all parts of the nation because they are passionate about spreading the message that hearing is precious and fragile. Our thanks to the major sponsor Office of Australian Hearing.
Health warning: Life threatening danger to children posed by button batteries Severe complications can develop within two hours if a young child was to swallow a coin lithium battery, such as those used in hearing aids and a range of other products. If it is not removed promptly, death could result within 24 hours. Most instances occurred where children removed the battery from a device or the battery was left unsecured. Nearly 10 percent of injuries to children under the age of four involved batteries associated with hearing aids. Deafness Forum of Australia calls on its members, other advocates, and professional and industry associations in the hearing health sector to champion the message. To its credit, Office of Hearing Services (part of the Department of Health) acted promptly to notify service providers contracted under the Hearing Services Program to raise awareness amongst clients and practitioners. Battery Controlled, a public campaign will raise awareness of the dangers http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/batterycontrolled Read a safety message in a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) newsletter https://www.tga.gov.au/publication-issue/medical-devices-safety-update-volume-3-number-4-july-2015#dangers Report any adverse events through the TGA website https://www.tga.gov.au/report-problem-medical-device
Willing to Work: National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination Against Older Australians and Australians with Disability The current 'Willing to Work' inquiry, conducted by the Age and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan AO, has the following terms of reference:
obstacles faced by older persons and persons with disabilities in actively participating in the workforce
discrimination against older persons and persons with disabilities as a systemic problem and a considerable barrier to their enjoyment of human rights
economic and social costs, and the costs to productivity, that result from discrimination against older persons and persons with disabilities in employment
The Australian Human Rights Commission explains its consultations and the process for making submissions in both Auslan and captions in a video (https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/projects/willing-work-national-inquiry-employment-discrimination-against) Deafness Forum of Australia referred the Commissioner to a report published by Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO). Deafness Forum is a foundation member of AFDO and a contributor to its submissions to government. The report highlighted that taking into account Australia’s looming workforce challenges, it was critical that all people with disability and businesses be placed at the centre of a new employment framework to ensure that people with disability were not left behind. Deafness Forum also submitted to the Commissioner its views on dismantling barriers to employment participation for the people we represent; and suggested practical ways to improve the Government’s Employment Access Fund. We made a point that the Australian Public Service is not the leader and exemplar it could and should be.
We explained that people who want to participate in the labour force and have hearing loss or are Deaf face challenges that are unfamiliar to most of their hearing peers: for some, the barriers become evident, start at or before the process of searching for work and, for many, they become more acute during the selection process or at work. A loss of hearing can also lead people to exit the labour force sooner than they would like to, and before their intended age of retirement. As a result, there is a hidden loss to national productivity. The problem may be worse than currently perceived. There is, we believe a significant under-reporting of disability amongst people who are hearing impaired or have a chronic disorder of the ear. In acknowledging there are some common issues, Deafness Forum did not favour combining age and disability in this one inquiry. Employment of people with disability requires a sophisticated approach. Employment of mature age Australians with disability is both a complex and complicated matter. Community volunteers are of inestimable value to the nation Inhibitors and disincentives to Australia's unpaid workforce, of which people with disability and mature age citizens are both significant contributors and beneficiaries were overlooked by this inquiry. Read also our recommendations for improvements to Employment Assistance Fund at http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php/issues
Nominate for National Disability Awards The 2015 National Disability Awards give Australians the chance to celebrate the people and organisations that have made a positive impact on the lives of people with disability. The Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield said “These Awards showcase the wonderful work being done throughout the community to improve the lives of people with disability so they can become more active in work and society.” Nominations close this week. http://www.idpwd.com.au/awards/nomination-form/
Hearing is precious and fragile
The last week in August each year
The Deafness Council of Western Australia organised a special newspaper insert for Hearing Awareness Week. The message reached 599,000 readers of The West Australian. http://info.thewest.com.au/westadvertising/feature/20150821/index.html
A touch of something different From the Titans rugby league club website
Sound decision As part of Hearing Awareness Week, Australian Hearing’s big blue bus rolled into Bundaberg QLD to offer free hearing checks.
More than 150 centres across the country offered free checks as part of the inaugural Big Aussie Hearing Check and in Bundaberg centre manager Lisa Christiansen and community hearing advisor Kathleen Dimes were on hand to offer their expertise.
"It's about early intervention. We are here to encourage people to have a check and if they need a hearing aid we advise them what to do next" Ms Christiansen said.
By Mike Knott BUNHEAR, Bundaberg NewsMail http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/your-hearing-put-to-the-test/2752716/
In Sydney, Deafness Forum chairman David Brady visited the big blue bus. The mobile hearing service provides free hearing checks in communities across Australia. Visitors to the bus can find information on a range of common hearing issues and view a display of hearing devices for around the home such as headsets for watching the TV and alert systems for doorbells.
Ken Pashley gets his hearing checked by Australian Hearing’s Lisa Christiansen and Kathleen Dimes
Hearing loss: early intervention the key
Early intervention remains the key to reducing the rate of hearing loss in Australians, Assistant Minister for Health Fiona Nash said.
Minister Nash said hearing once damaged often cannot be repaired, echoing the theme of the week: Hearing is precious and fragile.
“Hearing is something most Australians take for granted, but imagine a life without it,” Minister Nash said.
“One-in-six Australians currently experience some sort of hearing loss and this figure is expected to grow to one-in-four Australians by the year 2050 as the population ages.
“Hearing loss reduces our ability to communicate with our friends and family and to participate in social situations. It can also affect education and job prospects.
“Young people and those in loud working environments are particularly susceptible to hearing loss from exposure to loud noises.”
Minister Nash said the Australian Government is investing in research through the Hearing Loss Prevention Programme and the National Acoustic Laboratories to help identify the causes of preventable hearing loss.
“During 2015-16 we are helping to fund 30 projects to enhance services in remote locations, improve device functionality and improve identification and management of hearing loss in children,” Minister Nash said.
“While research is helping to understand the reasons for hearing loss and how to prevent it, the Government, through the Hearing Services Programme, is continuing to support people whose hearing is already impaired. “The Voucher Programme allows Australians to access fully and partially subsidised hearing services from a national network of contracted service providers. “On average, 290 new clients apply for the Voucher Programme each day through the Hearing Services Online portal. The portal provides clients with faster access to services with the potential to receive services on the same day. “In 2014-15, the Australian Government invested $384 million so that more than 660,000 Australians could receive more than 1.2 million services under the Voucher Programme. “The Community Service Obligations programme provides specialised services to children and other eligible groups such as adults with complex hearing needs and some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. “In 2014-15, more than 30,000 young Australians under the age of 21 received more than 66,000 services and more than 3,000 young adults (21-25 years) received approximately 6,600 specialist services under the CSO.”
The National Relay Service (NRS) celebrated Hearing Awareness Week this month with hundreds of contact centres around the country encouraging businesses to be accessible to everyone via the phone.
The Take my call campaign raises awareness of the needs of Australians who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment and who use the phone to contact businesses and government organisations.
“What we want to say is that even though our call is being relayed by another person, or might take a little longer, contact centre staff can talk to us like any other customer,” said NRS user Drisana Levitzke-Gray.
The NRS Hearing Awareness Week campaign covered over 280 contact centres with almost 50,000 contact centre staff taking part. Participants included major businesses such as Telstra, Coles and Optus, along with government agencies, emergency services and many councils and local businesses.
Australian Hearing privatisation would be damaging to deaf children, say families By Sarah Whyte, Health and Indigenous affairs correspondent, The Sydney Morning Herald
Robbie Ferguson, 11, with sisters Carys, 7, left, and Evie, 8. Their mother Berenice fears for the future of Australian hearing. Photo: James Brickwood
"Don't give up with what you do, even though you have hearing loss," Robbie Ferguson tells other children who, like him, are deaf. But now the 11-year-old has the same message for the Abbott government: don't give up on the country's largest hearing provider, which is being tipped to be privatised. Australian Hearing Services, an organisation that provides hearing services and research for children who are deaf or have hearing loss, has been targeted by the Department of Finance since last year for possible privatisation. The move was recommended by the Commission of Audit and announced last year. Labor and advocacy groups argue that the privatisation of Australian Hearing will splinter its services and put profit ahead of services offered. Regional services in remote Australia could also be adversely affected, they say. Labor's shadow parliamentary secretary for health, Nick Champion, said the audiologists at Australian Hearing did an amazing job. "The proposed privatisation of Australian Hearing is an attempt to Americanise our health system," Mr Champion said. "Australian Hearing has operated in government hands since 1947, and should remain that way into the future."
Robbie's mother, Berenice Ferguson, said the privatisation would significantly affect the families who use the service. "Australia has best-practice paediatric hearing services," she said. "What we have got is the research informing the practice and then our kids are being the recipients of that. I think if we privatise that we lose that unique relationship. "I would say to the government, 'Celebrate what you're doing really well and don't sell it off.'" Ms Ferguson said that when Robbie was a baby they would visit Australian Hearing every week, and he has been getting hearing aids since he was nine weeks old. "We just don't know what to expect, so it makes us very nervous," she said.
Photo: James Brickwood
Kate Kennedy, co-ordinator of Parents of Deaf Children and a mother of two children with hearing difficulties, said the privatisation of Australian Hearing was "too risky" and was an "ideological decision". "We at Parents of Deaf Children have been lobbying since the announcement in 2014," she said. "My kids are in their twenties, but if I had a baby tomorrow, you really are in uncharted waters and this adds a whole lot more uncertainty for families who really need that." Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann said any change in ownership of Australian Hearing would not affect eligibility or funding of the Community Service Obligation hearing services, including consultations in remote communities. The scoping study says it is determining the future ownership of the service. It is unknown when the study will report its findings on Australian Hearing.
The Australian Labor Party asks members of the community who support Australian Hearing remaining in public hands to take a picture with the image and share it on Facebook or twitter. People were asked to make sure they tagged their local member of parliament along with the Treasurer, using the hash tag #TooImportantToPrivatise. It was suggested the post was along the lines of: @JoeHockey Australian Hearing is important because _______. It’s #TooImportantToPrivatise The ALP is sharing stories of young people who currently use the services of Australian Hearing on the Labor member’s Facebook page. Australian Hearing was established by the Chifley Government in 1947. It was started to provide services to returning servicemen and women. It has operated in Government hands ever since. It is now the sole service provider for children under the age of 26. It also provides services to former military personnel, age pensioners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over the age of 50. Australian Hearing provides services at 468 hearing centres and visiting sites throughout Australia including many rural and regional centres where hearing services might not otherwise be available. Included in the 468 locations are 212 remote communities. Services include hearing tests, fitting hearing devices and providing counselling and rehabilitation programs. Together with its research division, the National Acoustical Laboratories, Australian Hearing helps people with often complex hearing health problems to participate fully in life by developing language skills, participating fully in education and enjoying the family and social activities that lead to a fulfilling life. There is concern about the impact privatising Australian Hearing could have on the quality of services and access to services.
News just in Hi there, we’re just starting a NEW Darwin Auslan Conversation Club starting Tuesday 1 September at the Trailer Boat Club at 6.30pm. Check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/704579023007323/ We’d love to see you there!
Our office: Shop 14b Casuarina Plaza, 258 Trower Road, CASUARINA NT 0810 Our postal: PO Box 40596, CASUARINA NT 0811 Email: [email protected] Skype: DeafNT Website: www.deafnt.org.au www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au
Deafness Forum Annual General Meeting 2015 The Deafness Forum Annual General Meeting will be held in Sydney on 28 November. Members may move a Resolution for consideration at the AGM. Send your Resolution in writing to the company secretary by close of business 30 September. Email: [email protected] Post: Deafness Forum of Australia, Open Systems House, 218 Northbourne Ave., Braddon ACT 2612
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