The ear health of Indigenous students in the Macarthur region will be tackled as part of new funding for Australian Hearing Services.
The money will also be used to help these students improve their academic performance.
Federal Member for Macarthur, Russell Matheson, has welcomed the decision to fund Australian Hearing Services over three years under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS).
Mr Matheson said the money would help Australian Hearing Services deliver “demonstrable benefits for local first Australians.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“The funding over the three years will improve classroom acoustics, improve teacher skills, detect and treat spatial processing disorders, improve hearing health knowledge and provide effective hearing aids for school children with chronic hearing loss,” Mr Matheson said.[/social_quote]
“Children at Briar Road Primary School in Campbelltown at risk of chronic or recurrent ear disease will now be treated accordingly through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy,” he said.
The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, said the government’s investment through the IAS grant round had increased from $860 million to $1 billion, with 996 organisations to receive funding for over 1,350 projects throughout Australia.
“The increased investment through the grant round is the result of the Government honouring its commitment to provide longer funding agreements for important frontline services and ensure that any gaps that emerged as part of the round were filled as quickly as possible,” Minister Scullion said.
“This increased investment will help deliver on the government’s key priorities of getting children to school and adults to work and making communities safer.”
