PM: Well firstly it's great to be here at this Shepherd Centre and to learn something about how the good folk here have been dealing with the challenges of hearing impairment for such a long period of time. I'd like to acknowledge Brendan Nelson, former Leader of the Opposition, former head of the AMA. He's been talking to me privately about these challenges for some time now. Tanya Plibersek of course my Ministerial colleague and local member and of course Mr Michael Shepherd who has got a particular association with this centre, and to staff and families.
Let me just make a few remarks about why we're here. Some time ago Brendan Nelson began speaking to me about the particular challenges of when we conduct diagnostic tests with littlies as soon as they're born to see if there is a problem with hearing. As I am advised, about 500 children every year are born in Australia with a profound, permanent hearing impairment. However, still too many of these children are not identified until months or even years after birth, usually when they undergo developmental testing at eight months of age or having been identified with a hearing impairment by the time they go to school.
Children whose hearing impairment is detected in the first days of life can be fitted for a hearing device as early as three months, I am advised. But between 2003 and 2006 the average reported age for children fitted with an initial hearing device in their early years was 15 months. We know from medical research undertaken by the National Health and Medical Research Council that early detection treatment is vitally important in a child's ability to develop language skills, in their later education, personal development and future employment prospects. And so these are the sorts of arguments which Dr Nelson, Brendan, has been putting to me.
In addition to the fact that currently across Australia despite some improvements and some great work here in the State of NSW, I am advised that we only have 75 per cent of newborns nationwide who are being properly screened for hearing impairment. And this varies from State to State, from 97 per cent in some States down to as low as 50 and a little lower than that in other states.
So my proposal is that we as a nation we can do better than this and we need to do better in terms of the lives of the little ones with whose welfare we are charged for the future. And so today I want to confirm publicly that we intend to turn this around, so that in 18 months every newborn will be able to benefit from a universal hearing screening in Australia.
I will be seeking a commitment from the Premiers at the meeting of the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Darwin on Wednesday for universal coverage of newborn screening for all states and territories by the end of 2010. I will also ask Premiers to fast track work being done amongst jurisdictions to develop national standards for screening and post screening follow up and a national quality and reporting framework.
I think we can do this. After all we've just engaged the States and Territories on a new $60 billion Health Care Agreement and I am sure we'll obtain a positive and cooperative response from the States and Territories to what will be a positive proposal from us. I think we can do much better as a nation.
I understand more will need to be done. Getting the diagnostics right is one thing, making sure that we also can work through the challenges of making sure that littlies have a cochlear implant at the right time, as early as possible and any replacement or follow up implant at the right time is what we now need to attend to and we'll be discussing that with State and Territory colleagues. But this is one important step forward, that is how do we best help little ones in Australia, born with a hearing impairment, to be diagnosed early and to be treated properly and that is what the national Government intends to do.
Brendan? You might want to say a few things.
NELSON: Thank you. Well, Prime Minister, Michael Shepherd, Tanya Plibersek, I want to thank the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for getting this. We are now on the cusp of living in a country where every child that is born in this nation will have his or her hearing screening tested at the time of birth where we should be able to get them into an appropriate program by three months of age with a cochlear implant before the year of one and by the age of five have them in the absence of other disabilities put into an entirely normal schooling environment.
I want to thank Kevin Rudd. When I spoke, first spoke to him about this he understood it, he, no pun intended but he heard it. He decided that this would be done. I also thank his Parliamentary Secretary Bill Shorten who also understood the importance of this. This will make Australia a leading nation when it comes to the care of its newborn infants. It means as I say that we will live in a country where every baby will screened at birth and will have the opportunity to live in a hearing and speaking world.
And I'd also like to pay tribute to Doctor Bruce Shepherd. Bruce Shepherd nearly 40 years ago decided that deaf children should be able to have the opportunity to go into a hearing and speaking world and now thousands of young Australian children can hear and speak because Bruce Shepherd wouldn't listen to those who said that they never would be able to do it. So I want to thank the Prime Minister for this significant initiative. It will transform the lives of many Australian children that are yet to be born and enhance the meaning of family life for their parents who will have them and I thank, I thank you very much.
PM: Well done Brendan.
NELSON: Very nice.
SHEPHERD: Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you Prime Minister, thank you Brendan. Look, all I can add is to what the Prime Minister and Dr Nelson have said. This is so important. It means that these children, rather than becoming drawdowns on the community and welfare, will become productive members of the community and go on to lead productive lives and happy lives, able to communicate with the entire community and not just those few who might be able to sign. So I thank you very much Prime Minister for your initiative and thank you Brendan for all your work. Thank you very much
PM: And just to conclude before we zip, are you okay, do you want to say anything? I think this is really good work because you've had folk like Bruce Shepherd and others who have, ahead of their time and ahead the curve, have said here is a social need for the nation and particular need for parents and for littlies. And so all of this has been going in times when there hasn't been an enormously supportive let's call it public policy environment. In many respects we in government are often catching up with what the community sector has been doing for some time.
So I'd like to acknowledge the work of the Shepherd Centre, acknowledge Brendan's personal interest in this being a medico himself by background, former head of the AMA and a former Leader of the Opposition in Canberra with whom I've had several good conversations about this. And the challenge for us all now is to make this happen and make it happen we will.
JOURNALIST: Mr Nelson, before you go, I've got a quick question. Are you happy to be standing in the position you are now considering the turmoil that your former party has been going through?
NELSON: Well, we're here to talk about deafness and hearing and I appreciate your question, I've got no comments to make on anything else. Thank you.