Media Room

A new study from Sweden shows hearing loss is still perceived as an old people’s affliction, even though data from around the world say something else.
The misperception makes it socially hard to cope with hearing impairment, not least in the workplace.
For more information, see http://www.press.hear-it.org/page.dsp?page=6151

The National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy Update - Setting the Direction was released by the Hon Brendan O'Connor, Minister for Employment Participation, and the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services on 22 December 2008. 

Information about the strategy can be found at: http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Publications/PolicyReviews/EmploymentStrategy/NationalMentalHealthandDisabilityEmploymentStrategy.htm

The first Board meeting of ACCAN has elected office bearers for the new telecommunications consumer peak representation body, ACCAN.

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, welcomed the appointments.

For more details, see http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2008/099

In December 2008 the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare and the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Australian Department of Health and Ageing released a report on the Progress of the Northern Territory Emergency Response Child Health Check Initiative.

The report shows preliminary results from the Child Health Check and follow-up data collections.Some interesting statistics include:

• Three in four (75%) children aged 0 to 15 years lived in a household where one or more persons smoked.
• Bed sharing was considered a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in 73% of children aged less than one year and soft sleeping surfaces and loose bedding was a risk factor for 35% of these children
• Four in ten (40%) children had untreated caries
• 38% of children had a history of recurrent chest infections
• 30% of children had ear disease
• Fifteen per cent of children aged 0 to 15 years had anaemia.

For the full report see http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/ihw/pnterchci/pnterchci.pdf

Thanks for showing your support for captioning, which enabled us to get Channel 9 to reinstate the captioned programs. 

The Daily Telegraph had an article on 13 December 2008, see http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24791279-5005941,00.html

Thanks to everyone who responded to our request for action on captions on Channel 9. We received hundreds of emails in support of our request to Channel 9 to reinstate captions on the programs they cut.

We thank all those who also intervened with Channel 9 including Senator Stephen Conroy, Margaret May MP, Senator Rachel Seiwert.

We have given copies of all of your emails to Senator Conroy, to Channel 9, and to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Thank you for caring about captions.

Original message:

Channel 9 over the month of November have dropped the amount of captions (hours per week) in the 6am to midnight slot to just 57.5% of programs (compared to 83.7 % around 4 months ago).

Channel 9 ceased to caption Mornings with Kerri-Anne (2 hours each weekday) Fresh Cooking with the Australian Women's Weekly (30 mins), Days of Our Lives (30 mins) and Antiques Roadshow (1 hour).

They also have two daytime shows that started recently that are not being captioned, The View (1 hour) and Ellen DeGeneres (1 hour).

This is a terrible situation and shows that they are holding the Deaf and hearing impaired communities in contempt.

Closing date 6 February 2009.

For more information please see http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php?q=educational-scholarships

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has announced a $700,000 grant to advance consumer representation in the telecommunications sector."Consumers are frustrated that their needs and complaints are not adequately recognised by telecommunications providers," Senator Conroy said.

"This $700,000 grant will raise the voice of consumers in telecommunications by supporting the establishment of a new peak representative body, the Australian Communications Consumers Action Network (ACCAN)."

"This is an important development for consumers, who through this new group will have a more powerful voice and will be better represented in the establishment of frameworks for future service delivery."

The Government announced at a Consumer Representation Stakeholder forum on 1 May 2008 that it would support the establishment of a new national peak body to provide telecommunications consumers with a stronger unified voice.

The $700,000 grant will used by ACCAN for establishment, recruitment, legal and research activities prior to its official launch on 1 July 2009. It follows the allocation of $87,000 in transitional funding in June 2008.

Funding to advance consumer representation follows the Governments recent endorsement of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman connect.resolve campaign to improve complaints resolution in the telecommunications sector.

"ACCAN has already started to identify priority research areas to ensure its position as the authoritative peak telecommunications consumer organisation," Senator Conroy said.

"I welcome the lead ACCAN is taking on these issues. Strong consumer representation in telecommunications will put pressure on the industry to lift its game and respond better to consumer needs."

The establishment of ACCAN is being coordinated by the Consumers Telecommunications Network: www.ctn.org.au.

(2 December 2008) Earlier today the Attorney General tabled the draft Premises Standards. It is expected the draft will be referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs which will consult on the draft in early 2009.

Please see the attached press release from Australian Human Rights Commission http://humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/buildings/access_to_premises.html

On 18 November 2008 Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, Bill Shorten, launched a new publication which outlines compelling reasons for including people with disability as customers and employees.

You can see Bill Shorten's media release here pdf or rtf

On 19 November Bill Shorten launched a new website called "Disability Works" http://www.disabilityconfidence.org.au/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 aimed at employers and business owners.

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, Bill Shorten, launched a discussion paper in October 2008 for the National Disability Strategy.

"To ensure the National Disability Strategy is practical and effective, the Australian Government, in consultation with State and Territory Governments, has developed a discussion paper to generate public comment," Ms Macklin said.

"A series of public consultations will be held across the nation, starting in Darwin on the 27 October and finishing in Canberra on the 26 November. This will ensure that Australians across the nation have an opportunity to provide input and feedback.

"The Rudd Government recognises that many people with disability face barriers in society, and are struggling with cost of living pressures during this time of global financial uncertainty."

For the first time, as part of the Economic Security Strategy, lump sum payments are being extended to include more than 700,000 Disability Support Pensioners. Carers will also benefit from the payments.

The lump sum payment of $1,400 to single pensioners and $2,100 to pensioner couples will be paid from the 8 December 2008.

These lump-sum payments are a down payment on long term reform, which will be delivered in the 2009-10 Budget context.

Mr Shorten said the National Disability Strategy was an election commitment of the Rudd Government to address the barriers faced by people with disability and promote social inclusion.

"It will be an important mechanism in ensuring the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are integrated into policies and programs affecting people with disability, their families and carers," Mr Shorten said.

"We would like to hear from people with disability, their families and carers, the organisations which represent them, employers, trade unions, researchers, and anyone with an interest in creating a better Australia for people with disability."

The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations will also be conducting consultations in regional and remote areas, and will be seeking input from communities of interest such as culturally and linguistically diverse groups, women with disabilities and Indigenous people.

You will need to register to attend consultations in capital cities and regional areas by calling 1800 077 765.

Written submission can emailed to NDS@nationalmailing.com.au or posted to National Disability Strategy, PO Box 7442, Canberra Business Centre, ACT, 2610.

Submissions must be received by 5pm AEST Monday 1 December 2008.

Alternative formats such as Easy English version of the National Disability Strategy discussion paper are available at www.fahcsia.gov.au/disability/nds

Please call 1800 077 765 or 1800 555 677 (TTY) for alternative versions.