MOTIONS › Hearing Awareness Week, Indigenous Health
Senator SIEWERT (Western Australia—Australian Greens Whip) (12:10): Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute. Senator SIEWERT: I take from the minister's comments that the government will not be supporting this motion. I am extremely disappointed to hear that. As far as her comments about policy on the run are concerned, I am quite shocked that the Assistant Minister for Health would say that, given that since I started here, nine years ago, I have been talking about Aboriginal health and Aboriginal ear health. The Senate Community Affairs References Committee report Hear us: inquiry into hearing health in Australia, which has acclaim throughout the hearing community, was really clear. It contained a whole section on Aboriginal ear health. This has been on the agenda for a significant period of time. The government cannot claim that this is policy on the run. Question agreed to.