Parents in southwest Sydney will get better hearing support for their children, thanks to the delivery of an Albanese Government election commitment to help fund the opening of The Shepherd Centre in Oran Park.
The Shepherd Centre in Oran Park was officially opened today to help children with hearing loss develop their listening, spoken language, literacy, and social skills.
The opening of the centre means that children with hearing loss will receive the specialist hearing support required to complete school with the spoken language and the skills they need to reach their potential and thrive.
The new centre at Oran Park delivers on a key election commitment by the Albanese Government for the people of southwest Sydney.
The Government provided $2.4 million so the centre could meet the unmet demand in the rapidly growing southwest Sydney area. The Centre is expected to support more than 2,500 children with a hearing loss, and their families.
The Shepherd Centre has been in operation for more than 50 years, and has service centres in NSW, the ACT and Tasmania.
The $2.4 million provided to help fund the Oran Park centre was part of a larger $6.5 million provided to help The Shepherd Centre open two other facilities in Hobart and Launceston, Tasmania. These will be the first facilities in Tasmania to provide comprehensive on-the-ground support of this kind for children with hearing loss.
The organisation supports more than 900 families through their physical centres as well as through telehealth for families living in rural and regional areas.
The Centre's HearHub platform also received $1.2 million in Government funding to support health professionals to work with children in Australia as well as export its services to children with hearing loss all over the world.
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese
"Children with hearing loss deserve the best possible start in life and the best possible care and support.
"Opening this state-of-the-art facility here in southwest Sydney will be life-changing for these children."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Mark Butler
"Over many decades the Shepherd Centre has proved time and again that their work is making a real difference to children with hearing loss and their families.
"Today the Albanese Government delivers on an election commitment to the people of southwest Sydney, with $2.5 million in Commonwealth funding to help open The Shepherd Centre in Oran Park.
"Making sure all Australian children with hearing difficulties can learn to listen and speak will open the doors to a world of choice in life and opportunity."
Quotes attributable to Member for Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander
"Today is a great day for children with hearing loss in southwest Sydney.
"It is wonderful that children in Macarthur with hearing loss can now access world's best practice care on their doorstep.
"I have worked with The Shepherd Centre for over half a century, and I am extremely grateful for the care they have given to my patients and the fact that we now have The Shepherd Centre in Macarthur delivering services to young families is fantastic!"
