Page 2658 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 10 August 2016
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At the other end of the age spectrum, while people over the age of 65 years are not eligible for the NDIS, older Australians in receipt of a pensioner concession card and with a hearing loss may be eligible to receive hearing services funded through the hearing services program. The supports provided through this program include a comprehensive hearing assessment performed by a qualified hearing services provider, access to a wide range of fully subsidised quality hearing devices made by leading manufacturers and advice on how to achieve maximum benefit from hearing devices.
Workplaces, through workplace safety practices, also play a critical role in preventing hearing loss. According to Safe Work Australia, occupational noise-induced hearing loss is a significant health and economic problem. Between July 2002 and June 2007, there were approximately 16,500 successful workers compensation claims for industrial deafness involving permanent impairment due to noise across Australia. Access Canberra WorkSafe inspectors constantly engage and educate business owners and those in control of construction site noise to protect employees and contractors from industrial and construction noise alike by ensuring compliance with the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011.
As Minister for Disability, I am proud that Canberra is already setting the benchmark for supporting choice and control for people with a disability, including those individuals with hearing impairments or hearing loss, with the ACT being the first state or territory to fully roll out the NDIS.
The desire for a truly inclusive and participative community was one of the main drivers behind Involve, Canberra’s disability commitment, which represents the ACT’s government’s continued commitment to the implementation of the national disability strategy for 2010-20. In 2015-16, one of Involve’s key focus areas was developing meaningful and valued employment options for people with disability.
We know that a job is essential to a person’s economic security and is important to connecting with others. A job contributes to personal wellbeing and a sense of identity and belonging. By acquiring new skills and knowledge throughout our lives we have the capacity to contribute to Canberra’s prosperity and enable it to continue to be a place of great opportunity.
We want to continue to improve opportunities for people with disability to develop skills and get meaningful jobs. The ACT public service inclusion traineeship is specifically for people with disability. Upon successful completion of the program, trainees are placed into ongoing positions across the ACT public service in various directorates.
The first traineeship program started in July 2016, and was an ICT traineeship in Shared Services specifically for people identifying with autism spectrum disorder. The second program is scheduled to commence in November 2016 and will be a larger program open to candidates identified as having a disability across all disability areas.
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