Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Peris and Siewert, move:

That the Senate notes that:

(a) support to 'Close the Gap' on health has been a bipartisan commitment;

(b) the World Health Organization has declared incidents of ear disease in communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to be a 'massive health problem', with the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in remote community suffering with middle ear infections to be as high as 93 per cent;

(c) the relationship between hearing loss and early interaction with the justice system has been recognised by Indigenous health experts;

(d) the Western Australian Minister for Health, Mr Hames, has, during the week beginning 29 November 2015, cancelled the Government funding of the Telethon Speech and Hearing's Ear Health program, an Aboriginal children's ear clinic based in Perth, despite its rating of 'outstanding' in an independent review; and

(e) to achieve progress toward closing the gap across Australia, governments at all levels must recognise the importance of adequate funding for ear health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

I seek leave to make a short statement.