Annual Report 2017

President’s report

In 2016, Speech Pathology Australia conducted its ground-breaking Speech Pathology 2030 project. This exciting initiative provided the speech pathology profession with an opportunity to look over the horizon into the future, with the project’s report laying the foundations for the Speech Pathology Australia Strategic Plan 2017- 2019 , released in May 2017. The Association’s strategic plan is the first step on our journey to implement the vision outlined by the speech pathology profession through the Speech Pathology 2030 project. The Association’s strategic plan is not an end itself. It is a living document that must remain dynamic. It is a document that encapsulates the aspirations, visions and hopes of the speech pathology profession in Australia; and endeavours to deliver a better outcome for all Australians with communication and/or swallowing difficulties. At the end of 2017 the membership of the Association had again reached record levels – a further 11 per cent increase on the record level set at the end of 2016. The rise in our membership also saw a healthy growth in student involvement (+16.5%) and a continuing rise in the number of members working in private practice (+10.9%). The Association’s advocacy work in 2017 continued apace and included a good number of written submissions to a wide range of national and state inquiries. Our policy and advocacy work also included formal discussions and meetings with a wide range of key stakeholders, including a number of federal and state ministers and shadow ministers. The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the challenges it threw up were a strong focus of much of the Association’s activities and work in the policy and advocacy sphere as it continues to be into 2018. In the closing days of 2017, the Association had its estimate that 1.2 million live with a communication disability endorsed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), when the bureau released Australians Living with Communication Disability . The data for this new publication being drawn from the ABS’s Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers. The ABS report outlines the impact of communication limitation on the development and wellbeing of Australians with communication disabilities. As part of Speech Pathology Week in 2017, the Association rolled out a series of innovative videos to promote the profession and issues relating to communication access. The theme

for the week was "Communication Access – Everyone gets the message"; and as part of week the Association hosted a Communication Accessible Communities Forum. The broad purpose of the forum was to discuss forming an ongoing collaboration, with the initial aim of developing a national consensus on what is meant by communication access and a building a clear advocacy position. The forum has now evolved into the Communication Access Alliance. In November 2017 the Association released the Communication Milestones Kit . The kit is an initiative of Speech Pathology Australia Queensland Branch’s Advocacy Portfolio and was designed with help from the Association’s National Office. The kit provides information for parents and carers about the role of speech pathologists, and assists parents and carers to find a speech pathologist if they are unsure about whether their child is having difficulty with his or her speech, language and communication. The kit has been a resounding success with record numbers of downloads from the Association’s website. Our Association’s ability to serve its members and their clients is only possible because of the hard work and dedication of Directors, the Association’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the staff that work in our National Office. This combined team ensures that the business of the organisation is conducted in a professional, strategic and efficient manner. Without the skill and guidance of our CEO, Gail Mulcair, Speech Pathology Australia would not be the outstanding professional Association it is today. I also wish to acknowledge the commitment of the Board of Directors who volunteer their time and expertise to provide the overall direction and management of the Association. In closing, we must as a profession recognise and understand that change is ongoing and constant. It’s why the Association continues to represent the past, the present and the future of the speech pathology profession in Australia. In doing this, we acknowledge that we must strive to meet the demands of today, while planning for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. It’s why I am confident that our strength of numbers, the professionalism of our members, and the dedication of our paid employees and unpaid volunteers, will ensure that the future for Speech Pathology Australia is bright.

Gaenor Dixon National President

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT Speech Pathology Australia