Launch of Hearing Awareness Week Expo
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler has Launched the Deafness Forum of Australia’s "Access to Communications and Access to Life" Expo at Parliament House to Mark Hearing Awareness Week.
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22 August 2011
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler today officially launched the Deafness Forum of Australia’s "Access to Communications and Access to Life" Expo at Parliament House to mark Hearing Awareness Week.
The Expo is taking place on 22nd and 23rd August and will showcase new communications technology and services for deaf and hearing impaired people.
"With 22 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations in communications technology, people will have the opportunity to sample some of the latest developments in technology, including having their hearing tested and listening to a hearing loss simulator, Mr Butler said.
One in six Australians suffers from some degree of hearing loss. By 2050, this is forecast to grow to one Australian in four.
"Though the forecast increased prevalence of hearing loss will be largely driven by our ageing population, a third of people with hearing loss acquire the condition through preventable means, from workplaces where noisy machinery is used to the regular use of personal music players over a long period of time," Mr Butler said.
The Expo is one of a number of important events of taking place during Hearing Awareness Week which aims to target high risk groups about preventable hearing loss, raise awareness among the broader community about hearing loss issues and promote better access to support and resources for those people already living with hearing loss.
"Providing better access to support and resources for those people already living with hearing loss was front and centre of this year’s Federal Budget," Mr Butler said.
"In this year’s Budget, the Government boosted the Hearing Services Program by $47.7 million. The funding boost is providing extended eligibility for young people to hearing aids, services and cochlear speech processors; increased access to hearing aids and cochlear speech processors for more children, and additional hearing services and aids for Indigenous adults and people with complex hearing problems."
An extra 39,600 children and young adults, 11,500 Indigenous people and 18,400 adults with complex needs will receive hearing aids, cochlear speech processors and other services over the next four years.
The Gillard Labor Government is committed to raising awareness of hearing impairment to reduce the incidence of hearing loss and promoting inclusion and understanding of hearing impaired Australians.
For more information please contact Mr Butler’s office (02) 6277 7280
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