E&OE

SUBJECTS: New Hearing Australia offices in Marrickville, Sydney

BILL SHORTEN, MINISTER FOR THE NDIS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES: Good afternoon, everybody. It's fantastic to be at this office opening in the electorate of our Prime Minister. I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land upon which we meet. I thank Uncle Alan for his words of welcome. I'd like to acknowledge in introducing the Prime Minister, the work of the Chair of Hearing Australia, Liz Crouch, and the CEO, Kim Tyrrell, and the whole team here today. In particular, I acknowledge that Hearing Australia is one of the unsung success stories of government delivery of health care and disability services in this country.

1400 skilled and passionate staff deliver services to 280,000 patients, of which 140,000 are pensioners and over 30,000 kids. So, every day this organisation is making a difference. But it was a real pleasure, I know, for the Prime Minister and myself to meet the show stealer of this opening, lovely little Zahra. I had the chance to talk to Bianca and to talk to Alan, her parents. This is the difference that politics can make and that people committed to helping people can make. In Australia, Australian taxpayers do support the idea of helping people who are less fortunate than themselves or have a particular disability who need just a hand. And with that they can then go on to have fulfilling lives.

The fact that Zahra was diagnosed whilst Bianca was pregnant meant that within two weeks of her birth, really skilled staff like Donna May, who we just met, were able to help Zahra. The difference it makes to assist little children with the earliest possible intervention means that. Zahra, there's pretty much nothing that Zahra can't do in the future. But this is only possible when you've got a government who is absolutely committed to making sure that we leave no one behind. And on that note, I'd like to introduce the Prime Minister of Australia. In the last election, he made very clear that part of what we do is that no one held back, but no one's left behind. Today, for Zahra and her parents, the Prime Minister's words have real meaning, and I can't wait to see what Zahra will do in the future, supported by her amazing loving parents and the really beautiful and skilled staff here at Hearing Australia. Thank you very much for letting us share this day.