Media Room

Applications are now open for the 2010 Deafness Forum Educational Scholarship (close 12 Feb)

Please see http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php?q=educational-scholarships for application form and details.

If you have any questions, contact our office.

The government discussion report on media access for hearing and vision impaired Australians will be launched today at Parliament House by Senator Stephen Conroy (Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, and the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services.

See full media release here 

Nicole Lawder, CEO of Deafness Forum and member of National People with Disabilities and Carer Council, with Damien Hale MP and Senator Mark Arbib at the National Disability Awards, 23 November 2009

Announcement from PRIME MINISTER, MINISTER FOR FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, ASSISTANT TREASURER, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR DISABILITIES AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES 23 November 2009

The Productivity Commission will investigate the feasibility of new approaches for funding and delivering long-term disability care and support.

The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, announced the inquiry at the National Disability Awards ceremony in Parliament House.

The inquiry forms part of the Australian Government’s ten year National Disability Strategy being developed with State and Territory Governments and in consultation with the National People with Disabilities and Carer Council.

The Productivity Commission inquiry will examine the feasibility, costs and benefits of replacing the current system of disability services with a new approach which provides long-term essential care and support for people with severe or profound disabilities however acquired.

The inquiry will examine a range of options for long-term care and support including consideration of whether a no-fault social insurance approach to disability is appropriate in Australia. It will also examine if a scheme would fit with Australia’s health, aged care, income support and injury insurance systems.

These are complex issues that require rigorous analysis, design and costing. The feasibility
study will assess whether a long-term care and support scheme would be appropriate, practical and economically responsible in the Australian context.

The Productivity Commission will consult widely and will be assisted by an associate commissioner with specialist disability expertise. An independent panel of experts will also be established to advise the Productivity Commission and Government during the Inquiry. The Australian Government will appoint the associate commissioner and the independent panel of experts shortly.

The Productivity Commission will report to Government in July 2011.

Figures released last week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed that around 2.3 million Australians will have a high level of disability by 2030.

This inquiry is an opportunity to rethink how we support people with disabilities so that they can engage with their community, get a job where possible, and live a happy and meaningful life.

The Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments have adopted a bold vision for the National Disability Strategy - an inclusive Australian society that enables people with
disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens. We need to harness support across all levels of government to make a difference.

That’s why the Commonwealth is also proposing that the strategy be developed through the
Council of Australian Governments.

This long-term agenda comes on top of an historic increase to Disability Support Pension and
Carer Payment recipients of $70.83 per fortnight for single pensioners on the maximum rate and $29.93 per fortnight for couple pensioners combined on the maximum rate.

The Government has also allocated substantial new funding under the new National Disability
Agreement, with more than $5 billion in funding over five years to the states for specialist disability services, including supported accommodation, respite and in-home care.

This includes the highest ever level of indexation and means that in 2013 the Australian
Government’s contribution will exceed $1.2 billion, compared to $620 million in 2007 under the previous government.

Go to http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php?q=newsletter-archive to view our latest e-news.

You can view it in Word or pdf format.

See http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php?q=newsletter-archive for PDF and Word versions of the September 2009 One in Six e-news

Thursday 10th September 2009

The Senate has today referred to the Community Affairs References Committee an inquiry into hearing health in Australia.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Chair, stated: There are currently approximately four million (one in five) people in Australia who have been identified as being deaf or having a hearing impairment.'

Senator Siewert commented that: 'The primary causes of hearing impairment are changes due to ageing and the impact of noise. The Committee is particularly interested in the long term implications for hearing health of the use of machinery in industry and on the land and modern technologies such as ipods.'

'The Committee will also look at the adequacy of access to hearing services, the adequacy of current hearing health and research programs and specific issues affecting Indigenous communities.'

Athletics, beach volleyball, basketball and much more. See http://www.deaflympics.tv/

Regular updates of the AUS Deaflympic Team – http://www.deafsports.org.au

Below are some of the media mentions and other related material for Hearing Awareness Week 2009.

Please see a letter for the launch of Hearing Awareness Week 2009, from Deafness Forum Ambassador the Hon John Howard AC. This letter is in pdf. If you would like a Word version, please contact our office via email info@deafnessforum. org . au (remove spaces before sending).

ACT government media release http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.php?v=8356&m=52

Mitch Fifield Liberals spokesperson on Disability, Carers and Social Inclusion media release

AAP story on Australian Hearing research pdf

Dubbo Daily Liberal story http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/news/local/news/general/deafness-no-barrier-for-journalist/1602025.aspx?storypage=0

ninemsn story Hearing aids improve your love life http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/853771/hearing-aids-improve-love-life-poll

Adelaide Advertiser story pdf

Sunshine Coast story pdf

Other stories include:

- Bendigo Advertiser 26/8/09 page 26

- Courier Mail 26/8/09 page 20

- Northern Daily Leader 26/8/09 page 7

- Central Coast Express Advocate 26/8/09 page 58

- Burnie Advocate 26/8/09 page 29

- Melbourne Times 26/8/09 page 18

- Bay Post 26/8/09 page 5

- Whitehorse Leader 26/8/09 page 17

- Ballarat News 26/8/09 page 1

- Central Western Daily 25/8/09 page 3

- Sunday Telegraph  23/8/09 4 page supplement

Check out events happening near you during Hearing Awareness Week 2009 on the Events calendar at www.hearingawarenessweek.org.au

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found the licensee of TEN, Network Ten (Sydney) Pty Ltd, breached the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the BSA) by failing to provide a captioning service for the live coverage of The Inauguration of President Obama, broadcast on 21 January 2009.

Under the BSA, commercial television licensees must provide a captioning service for all television programs transmitted during prime viewing hours as well as television news or current affairs programs transmitted outside prime viewing hours.

TEN initially failed to characterise the broadcast as news given it was not a typical news bulletin and was a one-off event. However, upon review, it acknowledged that the broadcast was ‘news’ within the relevant definition and, accordingly, should have been captioned.

‘By not captioning this event, Ten has not only breached its regulatory obligations but deprived its hearing impaired audience of fully participating in this historic moment,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman.

For full ACMA media release see http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=pc_311795

Contact our office now to receive your free Hearing Awareness Week posters and balloons.The theme this year is "At home, at work, at play."

This year there are 3 posters, all posters are double-sided. One poster is called "At Home", one is called "At Work" and one is called "At Play".

The At Home poster features a baby on the front, and reverse side has information about prevention and access at home. The photos on the reverse include a child in a sandpit, a woman watching captioned TV, and sign language.

The At Work poster features a man on a tractor, and reverse side has information about prevention and access at work. The photos on the reverse include a meeting with Auslan interpreters and real time captioning, a man having a hearing test at an audiology clinic, and a man using a telephone.

The At Play poster features a teenage girl playing the guitar, and the reverse side has information about access and prevention at play. The photos on the reverse include a close up of a hearing aid, a woman using a personal stereo player, and two primary school age girls in a swimming pool.

Email info@deafnessforum . org . au  (remove spaces before sending) with your name, postal address, and how many of each poster (how many at home, how many at work, how many at play) and how many balloons. If you want you can get one or two different types of posters, you do not have to take all three different types if you don't want all of them. You can request multiple copies of posters. You can request ties for balloons too. Providing all information when you send your request enables quicker response.

Posters and balloons are available free of charge.  Postage and handling is free to members of Deafness Forum. Non-members must pay postage if postage is over $5.

Click here to go to Hearing Awareness Week website. You can enter your events for Hearing Awareness Week using the Event Calendar.

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