Speech Pathology Australia Annual Report 2020

Our Voice

Speech Pathology Australia is the trusted voice of the profession.

Policy and advocacy In 2020, many of the usual pol icy and advocacy activities had to cease or be altered, with in- person meetings with Ministers, senior bureaucrats and other key stakeholders, no longer possible and appearances at publ ic hearings switched to onl ine. For example, Speech Pathology Austral ia representatives, Gai l Mulcair (Chief Executive Officer) and Jane Delaney (Senior Advisor Early Chi ldhood and Education), were invited to provide evidence to the House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training’s inquiry into education in remote and complex environments. This was done via teleconference on 2 September. Advocacy meetings were, however, sti l l able to be held remotely when urgent. For example, a meeting was convened with the National Disabi l ity Insurance Agency regarding Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Chi ldhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and access to the NDIS. Another impact of the pandemic was on service provision, with a cal l to provide more services via telepractice. In response, the Association successful ly prepared and provided a suite of evidence to help ensure access to speech pathology services via telepractice through Medicare, DVA, TAC and Private Health Funds. Submissions Speech Pathology Austral ia responded to 29 consultations with written submissions. Some direct quotes from, or references to, our written

submissions were noted in the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS’s reports regarding the NDIS Planning Inquiry and its NDIS Workforce interim report. The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disabi l ity’s (DRC) interim report also directly quoted Speech Pathology Austral ia twice, with our submissions referenced a further nine times. Toward the very end of the year the Association received a request to provide a statement to the DRC regarding the education and training of health professionals in relation to people with cognitive disabi l ity. Speech Pathology Austral ia maintained representation throughout 2020 on the fol lowing bodies: • Al l ied Health Professions Austral ia • Consumers Health Forum • Department of Veterans’ Affairs Health Providers Partnership Forum • Mental Health Austral ia • National Aged Care Al l iance • National Al l iance of Self-Regulating Health Professions • National Primary Healthcare Partnership • National Rural Health Al l iance • Professions Austral ia. Peak body representation

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT Speech Pathology Australia