Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, has welcomed the federal government’s decision not proceed with the privatisation of Australian Hearing as a win for the Springwood and Blue Mountains community.
"This is great news for Australian Hearing and our local community and I thank all those who fought against this proposed privatisation, signed the petitions and attended our forums," she said.
“As someone who suffered a hearing loss as an adult, I know only too well how much of a difference the right support can make.
“We have Australian Hearing centres in Springwood and Penrith, with outreach visits happening through the Mountains and Hawkesbury as far west as Lithgow. They allow eligible people to access a high standard of subsidised care,” Ms Templeman said
The government was approached by a consortium led by the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, alongside Cochlear Limited and Macquarie University, with a proposal for the transfer Australian Hearing into non-government ownership. The government announced in February 2016 that it would formally assess the proposal.
“I welcome the announcement by the government as part of the budget that they have decided to retain full ownership and control, however, this only occurred after the consortium withdrew its proposal,” Ms Templeman said.