Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) The Better Start for Children with Disability Initiative is available to children with a moderate or greater permanent conductive hearing loss.

(2) (a) Children who are registered for Better Start are able to access a range of early intervention services including speech and language therapy. Eligible Indigenous children who live in outer-regional or remote areas would also qualify for a one-off payment of $2,000 to assist with the additional costs of accessing Better Start service providers.

(b) A letter from a health centre doctor diagnosing an eligible condition is sufficient for the purposes of Better Start registration.