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1996 to 2011 in the in the number of speech pathologists born outside of Australia. There was a small increase (0.7%) in the number of speech pathologists born in Southern and East Africa. However, some consideration must be given to that fact the “did not respond”/“incomplete response” for this question for the 2011 census (6%) was double that for the 1996 census (3%), and thus the rate of speech pathologists who were born overseas may in fact be slightly higher. Regarding linguistic diversity, Lambier (2002) reported less than 9% of speech pathologists (who were members of SPA) spoke a language other than English at home. The Health Workforce Australia (2014) report only considered whether speech pathologists were born overseas, which is not necessarily an indicator of cultural and linguistic diversity, as many overseas born speech pathologists will come from an English speaking country (e.g., UK), and many people born in Australia speak other languages. The SP workforce needs to identify methods to collect data on participation rates for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, as this is currently not accessible through government agency reporting. Such data is crucial to inform the development of targeted strategies aimed at increasing representation to levels consistent with the general population. International SLP students The Health Workforce Australia (2014) data indicate that while there was a peak in the proportion of international students on study visas entering SP programs in 2009 (11.0%), the largest intake of international students was in 2011 (n = 94). The total number of international students increased from 52 in 2008 to 91 in 2012, consistent with overall increased program intake numbers, resulting in a maintenance of the proportion of SP students who were international students (7.9%). The results do not provide information regarding course enrolment type (i.e. Bachelor versus postgraduate), although Atrill, Lincoln, and McAllister There was a small but steady increase (2.2%) in the proportion of international students completing SP programs (11.1% in 2012). This suggests a comparatively higher completion rate for international SP students. Atrill and colleagues (2012) reported that cultural and linguistic background was a more important factor than country of birth in regard to SP student competency development. The impact of cultural and linguistic background on both intake and completion of a speech pathology program in Australia needs further examination. Consideration must also be given to a number of factors that may impact future enrolments of international students into SP programs, including foreign exchange rates, program costs, English language requirements, and delivery of SP program content overseas. Relevant factors influencing client attendance at SLP services Research suggests that some groups in the community (e.g., Indigenous Australian and culturally and linguistically diverse families) are less likely to access both health (Kelaher & Manderson, 2000; Ou, Chen, Hillman & Eastwood, 2010) and SP services (Broomfield & Dodd, 2004; Pickering & McAllister, 2000). An American review of cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) across health care (2012) reported there were a higher proportion of international students entering graduate than undergraduate SP programs.

The 2011 census data (Health Workforce Australia, 2014) also identified that there were comparatively more males (7.5%) than females (6.8%) aged over 55 years, indicating in the next 10 years a greater proportion of males will likely retire from the profession. Therefore, unless the number of male entrants into the SP programs increases in the next six years (i.e., allowing for four years for program completion), the proportion of males working as speech pathologists will fall further in the future. Unfortunately, the university commencement data indicate that there continues to be poor representation of males entering SP programs. This suggests that a change in the sex balance of the SP workforce is not going to occur in the near future. The information on students both entering and completing university programs from the Health Workforce Australia (2014) report provides potential prediction of the “drop out” rate of male SP students. This is a crude technique, which acknowledges that not all students will be required to complete the four years of the degree and that not all will do so as a full-time students, nor in consecutive years. Nevertheless, the data indicate that students who commenced the SP program in 2008 were 95.4% female. However, those completing in 2012 were 97.1% female. This discrepancy indicates that not only are fewer males entering SP programs, but also that a lower proportion of those males complete programs. The reasons for this discrepancy warrant further investigation.

Table 2: Indigenous Australian participation in SP workforce

Census 1996 Census 2011

3

11

Number of speech pathologists identifying as Indigenous Australians % Indigenous Australian speech pathologists

.13%

.21%

Source: Health Workforce Australia, 2014

Participation rates of Indigenous Australians

There is some good news in regards to the participation rates of speech pathologists identifying as Indigenous Australians. While the overall number of Indigenous Australian speech pathologists is still extremely low (n = 11 in 2011), the number has increased nearly four-fold. More importantly the proportion of Indigenous Australian speech pathologists has increased by 61%. While this provides a positive indication of the ability to change the demographic profile of SP in Australia, it needs to be stressed that there is still significant work to be done. There needs to be a concerted effort to strategically increase the Indigenous Australian participation rate in SP in Australia, in order to be reflective of the Australian population and to provide a role model and conduit within with the Indigenous Australian community and Indigenous Australian clients. The Health Workforce Australia (2014) report does not provide information on enrolments or completions of students who identify as Indigenous Australians. Participation rates of people who are culturally and linguistically diverse The Health Workforce Australia (2014) data suggests a small increase from 16.3% to 17.1% in the period from

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JCPSLP Volume 17, Number 1 2015

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