Media Room

Entry forms available at http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php?q=captioning-awards

Entries close 22 July 2009.

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See you there at the Four Seasons Hotel on 27 August 2009.

The Australian Communications Consumers Action Network has appointed Allan Asher as its first Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Allan brings vast consumer
experience which he has exercised at the very highest levels in Australia, the UK, Europe and at the United Nations. His grounding in telecommunications is sound, having been a director of corporate affairs in the Overseas Telecommunications Company before it was absorbed into what is now the Telstra Corporation. He has been a beacon for consumers in numerous roles, including as Deputy Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; with director positions in the Trade Practices Commission and CHOICE in Australia, WHICH? (CHOICE equivalent in the UK) and Consumers International, and as director of Energywatch, the gas and electricity consumer council in the UK.
“Australian consumers are demanding a fresh approach to consumer consultation and engagement in communications issues, We are confident that Allan will deliver the right mix of local knowledge, appropriate international experience and an exceptional background in consumer representation” said ACCAN Chairman Alex Varley.
“I am also pleased that we have secured Teresa Corbin as the Deputy CEO. Teresa is the CEO of Consumers’ Telecommunications Network (CTN) and has been a major driver of the creation of ACCAN, as well as her outstanding work on telecommunications consumer rights. She and Allan will make a very strong team with a combination of campaigning, communication and policy skills and a vast knowledge of both the Australian and international scene.”

"Unemployment in Australia is expected to rise to 7 per cent, and many people will ask the question: "Why should it be a priority to get people with disability into the workforce? I need a job too."

I have two answers to this.

One is the standard sensible answer: That in the long term we have an ageing population and once this current economic crisis has passed we will need to use the potential of all members of society in all walks of life.

The second answer is more simple: When did basic civil rights become dependent on the state of the All Ordinaries, or the strength of the dollar against the yen?

People with disability should not be pushed to the back of the queue, the back of the bus, or out of the washroom, by the current economic crisis.

Because what we're asking isn't charity, and it doesn't involve sacrifice, and it never did. People with disability can be as productive as anyone else.

Take this example of four people looking for work: One, let's call him Leo, is deaf, the second Frank is in a wheelchair and the third Helen, is blind and the fourth, Steve, can not make himself understood.

It is likely that all four resumes would be put on the bottom of the pile by a boss or a job agency too concerned about the problems that these unhappy unfortunates might cause.

That boss would have turned down Ludwig van Beethoven, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Helen Keller and Stephen Hawking. "

Here is the link to Parliamentary Secretary’s speech at the National Press Club.

http://www.billshorten.fahcsia.gov.au/internet/billshorten.nsf/content/right_to_ordinary_life_01apr09.htm

On 17 March 2009, the Productivity Commission received a terms of reference from the Australian Government asking it to undertake a commissioned study on the contributions of the not for profit sector.

The study's focus is on:

• improving the measurement of the sector's contributions
• removing obstacles to maximising its contributions to society.

In undertaking the study, the Commission is to:

• assess current and alternative measures of the contribution of the not for profit sector and how these can be used to better shape government policy and programs so as to optimise the sector's contribution to society
• identify unnecessary impediments to the efficient and effective operation of not for profit organisations and measures to enhance their operation
• consider ways in which the delivery and outcomes from government funded services by not for profit organisations could be improved
• examine recent changes in the relationships between government, business and community organisations and whether there is scope to enhance these relationships so as to improve outcomes delivered by the not for profit sector
• examine the impact of the taxation system on the ability of not for profit organisations to raise funds and the extent to which the tax treatment of the sector affects competitive neutrality.

The Commission has been asked to adopt a broad definition of the not for profit sector to encompass most types of not for profit organisations, including Australian based international aid and development agencies.

It is also to have regard to the findings of the Government's Taxation Review headed by Dr Ken Henry and the Inquiry into the Definition of Charities and Related Organisations (2001).

See http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/study/not-for-profit

The Government has announced that it will invest $58.3 million to help tackle eye and ear diseases in Indigenous communities – including diseases rarely seen outside the third world. 

Too many Indigenous people suffer avoidable vision loss and hearing loss. That is unacceptable, and this investment will help turn that around.

See http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Release/2009/media_release_0844.cfm

The Rudd Government is investigating new ways to improve access to communications services and technologies for people with disabilities. On Monday 16 February 2009, Senator Conroy announced a feasibility study into a new disability equipment program to operate independent of telecommunications carriers.

A discussion paper to inform the feasibility study has been released by the Minister. The discussion paper outlines some of the key issues relating to the supply of specialised telecommunications equipment to people with disabilities and invites interested parties and organisations to lodge submissions responding to a series of questions embedded in the paper.

The discussion paper is available on the Department’s website at www.dbcde.gov.au/idepstudy, in various print formats, including .pdf, .html and .rtf.

See http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/006 Comments on the paper are due 17 April 2009.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all Australians affected by the bushfires, especially those with families and friends whose lives have been tragically lost, those who are injured, and those who lost their property. Our thoughts are also with all those who are fighting the fires.

Read on for more information and contact websites.

Please refer to VicDeaf website http://www.vicdeaf.com.au/ for assistance if you have been directly affected by the bushfires. 

A reminder that you should decide beforehand to either stay and fight the fire, or decide to leave/evacuate early. Do not risk leaving in a vehicle once the fire has arrived. 
Stay tuned to your local news (ABC radio if you can hear it, or TV) or contact emergency information lines or the following websites - please note that this list of websites is not all inclusive however, it does provide a starting point. Look up emergency phone numbers in your phone book and have them prominently displayed (eg on your fridge) in case of emergency.

Remember you can use the National Relay Service where an emergency is either life threatening or where time is critical. There is more information at http://www.relayservice.com.au/topics/2065.html on the NRS website but, in summary,

• If you use a TTY, dial 106 on your TTY - your call will be given priority
• If you use Speak and Listen, dial 1800 555 727 - your call will be given priority - and ask for Triple zero (000)
• If you use Internet Relay, ask for Triple zero (000) - however your call cannot be identified as an emergency call and won't be given priority until you are connected to a relay officer

The links below point to State and Territory emergency management/service websites

• Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner, Victoria: http://www.oesc.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/OESC/Home/About+the+Office/
• NSW Government Office of Emergency Services: http://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/oes
• ACT Emergency Services Agency: www.esa.act.gov.au/ESAWebsite/content_esa/home_page/esa_home_page.html
• Emergency Management Queensland: http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/emq/
• Fire and Emergency Services Authority, Western Australia: http://www.fesa.wa.gov.au/internet/
• Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services: http://www.nt.gov.au/pfes/
• South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission: http://www.safecom.sa.gov.au/site/home.jsp
  
• State Emergency Services, Tasmania: http://www.ses.tas.gov.au/
  

Here are links to Emergency Management Australia and Library:

• EMA Library: http://www.ema.gov.au/agd/EMA/emaInternet.nsf/Page/EMA_Library
• EMA Home Page: http://www.ema.gov.au/

And, here are other suggested sites:

• Australian Bureau of Meteorology: http://www.bom.gov.au/
• Geoscience Australia: http://www.ga.gov.au/ 
• Australian Local Government Association: http://www.alga.asn.au/index.php?id=d6f2b804f1df15ac7c8610e8d0c5a497
• Australian Disaster Information Network (AusDIN):http://www.ausdin.gov.au/accesspoint?action=menuHome
• Triple Zero: http://www.triplezero.gov.au/accesspoint?action=tripleZero
• Disability Preparedness, For Safety and Security of Americans with Disabilities: http://www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/emrscp/emerman.htm
• Emergency Management Research and People with Disabilities: http://ratifynow.org/2008/10/12/emergency-management-research-and-people-with-disabilities/
• You Tube video on Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities by American Red Cross: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SJQr40wJ5MA
• National Centre for Accessible Media (Public Reference Repository): http://ncam.wgbh.org/alerts/resources.html

This information provided by Emergency Management Australia.  

The post-chemotherapy quality of life is important for cancer patients. New attention is being paid to one common side-effect, hearing loss.
”Twenty years ago, many cancer patients considered themselves lucky to survive – now medical advances mean that quality of life after treatment is also crucial”, said Mark Downs, Executive Director of Technology and Enterprise of the British RNID.
See http://www.press.hear-it.org/page.dsp?page=6166

A new study from Sweden shows that 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