PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

What does the next Federal Budget hold for deaf babies,
children and young adults?
Parents of deaf children believe that the Federal Budget next week will be very bad news for
deaf children and their families if the Government proceeds with its proposal to sell
Australian Hearing.
Parents of Deaf Children (PODC), Canberra Deaf Childrens Association (CDCA) and Aussie
Deaf Kids (ADK) have sent an open letter to the Prime Minister and the Ministers for Health,
Human Services and also Finance. They are profoundly concerned that the government
intends to sell or privatise Australian Hearing.
Australian Hearing is a government service that provides essential audiology services for
babies, children and young adults who have a hearing loss.
PODC, ADK and CDCA have jointly and repeatedly called on the Federal Government to be
open about its intentions with regard to the sale of Australian Hearing. They have urged the
government to consult with families with regard to Australian Hearings future.
Through the Community Service Obligations (CSO program), Australian Hearing delivers a
trusted, well-regarded, high level of quality service to Australian children and youth with
hearing loss. It has a nationwide quality assurance system.
Robert Foote, President of Canberra Deaf Childrens Association fears that deaf children
will be disadvantaged if Australian Hearing is sold and families are forced to turn to
private entities to help manage their childs hearing loss.
Australian Hearing professionals have an unbiased position with regard to the best valuefor-money hearing appliances, because they are not owned by a manufacturer. This
independence combined with true buying power, greatly increases the value of the level of
technology that is returned to users, he said.
The high cost and low returns of providing these services, especially in regional and remote
locations, could result in inadequate services for these areas, added Mr Foote.
Australian Hearing currently has 127 permanent sites throughout Australia and offers
further services through the provision of 368 mobile sites.
Kate Kennedy, Coordinator at Parents of Deaf Children, says families are concerned the
potential sale of Australian Hearing will undermine the success of the entire system for
deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families .
Newborn hearing screening programs, early intervention, education and social services are
all fundamentally linked to the services provided by Australian Hearing. If one part of the
overall community of support is removed, especially one as irreplaceable as Australian
Hearing, all of the services will be at risk she said.
PODC, ADK and CDCA call upon the Federal Government to recognise the needs of the deaf
community and not sell this essential organisation.

END.

INTERVIEW CONTACTs
Robert Foote, President of Canberra Deaf Childrens Association and parent.
Email: cdca-committee-2@googlegroups.com
Mob: 0430 175 117

Kate Kennedy, Coordinator, Parents of Deaf Children.

info@podc.org.au
Mob: 0419 628 829
www.podc.org.au
Mark Wyburn, PODC Regional Representive and parent .
Mob: 0409785430
markwyburn@bigpond.com

Notes for journalists

Australian Hearing has been the sole provider of hearing services for deaf and hardof-hearing children since 1947.
There were 30,016 hard-of-hearing and deaf young Australians under the age of 21
in 2013-14. 2,753 young adults also relied on Australian Hearings national network
of service locations in this period.
Some of those babies, children and young adults have multiple disabilities.
16% of those people are from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.

Our Organisations
Canberra Deaf Childrens Association is a non-profit community organisation providing
support and information to parents and families on issues affecting deaf and hearingimpaired children.
Parents of Deaf Children is the peak body for parents of deaf or hearing impaired children in
New South Wales. The role of the organisation is to support families in NSW with
information, referral and advocacy services.
Aussie Deaf Kids is a not-for-profit organisation providing online information and support to
families raising a child with hearing loss in Australia.

Background on this issue

Federal Government Scoping study
In the 2014/15 Federal Budget the Government provided $11.7 million for scoping studies
into future ownership options for Australian Hearing, Defence Housing Australia Ltd, the
Royal Australian Mint and the registry function of the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission. The aim of the studies was to assess the likely sale environment for each
business operation and seek to ascertain the optimal method and timing of sale. It is
apparent by this grouping of existing government entities and the scoping study through the
Department of Finance, that the Government views Australian Hearing as a business to be
sold, and not an essential service for disabled people.
Australian Hearing specialist services
Special skills are required when dealing with babies and young children, with between 30 &
40% of children who are deaf or hard of hearing having an additional disability. Australian
Hearing is the only service that has in-house training for audiologists dealing with paediatric
clients this is not taught at university. When a child is first diagnosed, parents/carers are
often overwhelmed and in need of support to determine next steps for their deaf child. At
present parents/carers can be assured that the hearing needs of their baby will be optimised
through the reliable services and professionalism of Australian Hearing. They dont need to
search for a reputable provider with appropriate paediatric experience.
The Community Service Obligation delivered by Australian Hearing had a budget estimate
cost of around $60 million dollars for 2013-14. This is a very small cost to provide a trusted,
world class, quality, Australian wide service which is accessible to all eligible hearing
impaired children, young adults, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, pensioners and
veterans.
The Auditor Generals 2014 report into the delivery of the CSO Program noted that it is
being effectively administered by Australian Hearing. Other key findings in the audit report
indicate that there are no performance management issues that would necessitate a sale of
Australian Hearing.
The technical ability through Australian Hearing and its research arm, the National Acoustic
Laboratory (NAL), provide world class hearing services which are the envy of every other
country. The existing structure has enabled remarkable research and innovation that is used
all over the world. This would not have been possible from a system that was privatised or
fragmented.
Outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing children
The pathway of early diagnosis to early intervention, to mainstream education and
workforce has become increasingly the norm for deaf and hard of hearing children and
adults. The services of Australian Hearing are a key part of this pathway. Outcomes for deaf
children are at risk if this service is diminished