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 value-for-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 hard-of-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 hearing-impaired 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