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Category: Deaf Australia Activities

19/04/2024

Announcing Perth Thinking Lab 2024

We have an exciting new event to announce! Coming this winter, we are hosting…
✨ PERTH THINKING LAB 2024 ✨
Thinking Lab 2024 is a space bringing many deaf people together to figure out what and how we think. Our aim is to develop and improve our deep thinking skills. We are busy preparing the application and FAQs for you, keep an eye on our social media and website for the latest updates.
In the meantime, see Gab’s video for all the details. We hope you’re excited and will think about joining us!

Transcript

Hello Australian Deaf Community! My name is Gab Hodge. I'm Deaf from Melbourne and now working in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh in sign language linguistics. 

Have you ever dreamed of spending one week at a beautiful location, thinking, learning and signing with other Deaf people? Yes, me too! 

I’m excited to partner with Deaf Australia in hosting a new event in Perth from 1-5 July 2024. 

Thinking Lab 2024: a space bringing many deaf people together to figure out what and how we think. Our aim is to develop and improve our deep thinking skills. Thinking Lab will not be like sitting in a row in a classroom watching boring lectures. We will watch different films. [Note for Deafblind attendees we can use different prompts on request]. We will draw on different ideas from these films, depending on all of our different interests. These ideas will be taken into group or one-on-one discussions, and we'll also do different creative activities designed to support development of our deep thinking skills. 

Thinking Lab 2024 will be facilitated by myself and four other wonderful Deaf people:

  1. Annelies Kusters (Belgium) who is extremely knowledgeable about Deaf people, language, culture and film-making. 
  2. Jody Barney (Australia) who has extensive experience relating to First Nations knowledge, culture, language and advocacy. 
  3. Stef Linder (Australia) who is skilled with interpreting, translating and community development. 
  4. Marta Morgado (Portugal) who is knowledgeable about linguistics, Deaf culture and visual notetaking. This is different to English notetaking, as it relies on transforming ideas into visual or tactile notes. 

We are very excited to host this event together. Jody, Stef and myself all use Auslan. Annelies and Marta use BSL or International Sign. 

There are 25 spots available for Thinking Lab. These limited places ensure we can provide a good quality learning experience for everyone who attends.

The registration fee is $2,000 per person and includes all food, accommodation and learning for the week. We also have five free places available for people who do not have access to funding. 

Would you like to join? You must be:

  1. Deaf, Deafblind, Deaf disabled or hard of hearing and age 18 or older
  2. Comfortable using visual or tactile sign for the week
  3. Open minded, curious and interested in other people and ideas

We hope you will apply! Stef explains the application process in another video. We also have a series of FAQ videos that you might like to check for answers to any questions.  

Hope to see you there! Thank you.

Visual description

Gab is standing in front of a plain white background. She is wearing a dark red turtleneck and signing in a friendly and informative manner.

22/02/2024

NRS Poll

Take the NRS poll here: https://forms.office.com/r/VcVX0jzYpa?origin=lprLink

Transcript

Hello! We would like to share an update with you about the NRS. The National Relay Service is under the responsibility of the Australian government. This means that the government will contract one company to manage the NRS for all people around Australia.

Every three years (sometimes extended) the government creates a new contract through a tender process. The government will pick a business and continue NRS. The contract is responsible to provide services to all people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech communication difficulty.

We can see that the NRS still has some issues. We (being a group of key disability organisation stakeholders) and us (Deaf Australia), are disappointed with the government because they didn’t follow proper procedure during this latest tender process. They didn’t consult with us prior to launching the tender regarding any issues. Unfortunately the tender process has already begun.

We are working on a collaborative approach to advocate for the best quality, because we can see how it is dropping each year. Don’t worry because we are currently working with ACCAN who are the peak national advocacy group for Australian communication consumers, similar to us at Deaf Australia. Also, they are knowledgable about what to do when communication issues arise and liaise with the government on possible solutions.

We have full spreadsheet of all the areas we want to improve, remove or add to regarding the NRS. Now, we are asking you all, the deaf community, to let us know if you support our work and respond if you’re happy. Then we can show the NRS our proposal and make sure it’s right and we have picked through the proposal with the relevant deaf topics.

I will give you a list and you let us know if it’s all good! This is a list of different types of support and services like:

Funding of NRS – need to keep ongoing funding, not less.

NRS chat 24/7 – keep this service the same, no changes.

VRS (video relay service) – right now has limited time and day we want to expand this to 24/7 availability.

TTY Services – keep this the same.

SMS Relay – keep this the same.

Captioning Services – like accessible captioned telephone for people who are oral – keep this the same.

Also we want to add education and training program to teach hearing people how to use NRS, and visit schools and teach deaf students how to use it.

Also to educate general hearing public about NRS and to avoid such incidents and misunderstandings when they receive NRS call and hang up or think it is a scam.

Also, how to improve 000 emergency calls though NRS.

Oops, there is one more! We want to remove NRS registration before using service. Meaning no requirement to register or login. You can start using NRS chat and video right away anytime. You won't have to log in or create an account to use service. It will be automatic and easy.

We also want to make sure this is an accessible platform for deafblind people and include them for any issues, discussion or design collaboration.

That is all for now. If you are happy with this proposal so far please fill out the poll to show your support. If you have any feedback or to raise another matter, please add it in the poll, we will be collecting all further notes. I will use to prepare for the next meeting and present. I want to show the connection to you, our community, and present to the government that the deaf community supports this advocacy endeavor!

Just to let you know, the poll closes Thursday 29th February 5pm AEDT. Meaning Sydney / east coast time. Thank you!

Visual description

Shirley Liu is wearing a black t-shirt and standing in front a plain green and blue gradient background. Her hair is pulled back . She is signing in an engaging way towards the camera.

05/02/2024

Deaf Focus Group at the City of Sydney Fire Station (Paid Opportunity) – NSW

Updated: 5 February 2024

Transcript

Hello! My name is Nick Craig and I want to share an update on behalf of Deaf Australia about the focus group for deaf and hard of hearing in NSW through the “Fire Proofing At-Risk Communities” project.  This focus group is your opportunity to share any experiences or barriers to accessing fire safety information.  More information about this project is in the first video (see below). 

The focus group was planned for tomorrow, 6 February 2024, but it had to be postponed due to interpreting issues.  This has been rescheduled to:

When: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Time: 1 pm to 3.30 pm
Where: City of Sydney Fire Station

Deaf Australia wants to make sure deaf and hard of hearing people from different groups have opportunities to share their experiences. We have already contacted Deaf organisations and service providers in NSW for 3-4 clients or community members each to join the focus group.  Deaf Australia is also looking for 3-4 community members in NSW to participate.

Each participant will be paid.  The focus group is available in person or online.

If you are interested, the deadline to register is 12 February 2024.  Please see the first video below for more information about the project and registration process.

Remember, this is your opportunity to have a say about improving fire safety information!

If you can’t make it to the focus group, there is an online survey about fire safety messages sent through social media.  This survey is to see if the language for fire safety messages online is easy or hard to understand.  This will help emergency services improve their emergency messages.

The survey has Auslan videos, too.  If you are interested, please go to this link: https://forms.office.com/r/Cpfwi4dfqV

I also want to clarify that participation in the focus group is paid.  The online survey is voluntary.

Thank you and hope to see you there!

Visual description

Nick Craig stands in front of a white background and is wearing a dark grey button down shirt. He is white, has a short beard, and is signing in a friendly manner towards the camera.

Posted: 25 January 2024

Transcript

Hi everyone, my name is Nick Craig. I want to share a focus group organised by the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) and Fire and Rescue NSW. AFDO and Fire and Rescue NSW are working on a project called “Fire Proofing At-Risk Communities”. They are organising focus groups for people from different disability groups.
 
What will this focus group include? It will talk about:
  1. Access to information about fire safety-is it easy or hard?
  2. What do you need from disaster preparation information-for eg, need in Auslan?
  3. Your experiences and challenges that you went through a disaster.
  4. Past experiences with fires or emergency services.
  5. What you already know about what to do in emergencies.
AFDO asked Deaf Australia to assist in organising a focus group for deaf and hard of hearing people. The focus group will have Auslan interpreters. One firefighter from FRNSW and a deaf person will co-facilitate the focus group. I will be the deaf co-facilitator on behalf of Deaf Australia.
 
Good news—each participant will get $80 for participating in this focus group.
 
When: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Time: Please arrive at 9 am as there will be a form for you to fill out before the focus group starts at 9.30 am to 11.30 am
Where: City of Sydney Fire Station: 211-217 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW
 
If you are also interested, a short fire station tour can be provided after the focus group to learn about its history, pictures and building.
 
If you want to attend the focus group, please contact Ainslie Whitburn from AFDO through either email or SMS:
SMS 0431 927 276
 
Thank you and hope to see you there!

Visual description

Nick Craig stands in front a grey background and is wearing a dark grey button down shirt. He is white, has a short beard, and is signing in a friendly manner towards the camera.

01/02/2024

NDIS Roundtable for Remote, Rural and Regional

Reminder, published on 9th February 2024

Transcript

Hello! I want to remind you about next Thursday night from 6.00pm to 7.30pm. We will have a roundtable about the NDIS, to talk about your experiences involved in the NDIS from people who live in remote, rural and regional areas. Don’t forget; next week on Tuesday night RSVPs will close. We will provide interpreters and captioning for those who’ve requested them. Thank you to those who’ve finished register for next week on Thursday night; we are looking forward to it. Bye!

Visual description

White woman with shoulder length hair wearing a black long sleeved t-shirt sitting against a creamy background. She is signing in Auslan about the NDIS roundtable event happening next Thursday night from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Transcript

Hello! I’m Catherine, and I work at Deaf Australia as a policy officer. I want to let you know that Deaf Australia will have a roundtable to focus on NDIS experiences from people who live in remote, rural or regional areas. We want to know about your experiences with NDIS both good and bad, including access to services, things like that. We will have a series of questions to ask, to encourage discussion. We will have the roundtable on zoom, on Thursday 15th February from 6pm to 7.30pm. We’re really keen to see your experiences so please RSVP by 13th February (that’s on a Tuesday) in two weeks. If you have any accessibility requirements please let us know. If you’re keen to be involved please RSVP to [email protected]. Hope to see you there! Bye!

Visual description

White woman with brown shoulder length hair and a black jumper sitting against a creamy background signing about an opportunity to participate in a roundtable about experiences with the NDIS from a remote, rural and regional perspective.

20/12/2023

Announcement Regarding Deaf Australia Membership Structure Changes

Transcript

Hi My name is Debra Swann - Chair of Deaf Australia. This message is about the new membership structure following from the new constitution which was approved at our AGM last 18 November 2023.

The Board of Deaf Australia now have a new membership structure as following:

 1.⁠ ⁠General membership - $50 per year

 2.⁠ ⁠Low incomes and students - $25.00 per year

 3.⁠ ⁠Under 18. - $5.00 per year

From 18 November onwards - any new members who join will now follow this structure.

However for our current members - the new structure will start on 1st July 2025. Deaf Australia will email you before July 1, 2025, to inform you of the annual membership fee change. That applies to our existing members on the old membership structure, while new members will follow the new one.

In a few days, it will be Christmas. The board of Deaf Australia wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please stay safe and enjoy the holiday festival. We look forward to business with you in 2024 and beyond.

Visual description

Opening slide: Graphic features white Deaf Australia logo on a purple and blue gradient background. Below this is a circle shape with a screenshot of Debra Swann from the video. Title reads "Announcement Regarding Deaf Australia Membership Structure Changes.  Published: 20th December 2023."

Video: Debra Swann is signing in front of a festive Christmas tree background. She is wearing a black shirt, a red cardigan, and clear-frame glasses. She is signing in a friendly and professional manner.

Closing slide: Graphic features white Deaf Australia logo on a green and blue gradient background. Text reads “Deaf Australia is a Deaf-led advocacy and information organisation in Australia representing all Deaf, Deafblind, and hard-of-hearing people and others who use Auslan (Australian Sign Language) as their language of preference. Contact us: [email icon] [email protected], [website icon] deafaustralia.org.au, [Instagram and X icons] @deafaustralia, [Facebook icon] DeafAustraliaInc”

30/11/2023

2023 AGM Recap

Transcript

D: Hi Julie, how are you?

J: Hi Debra, how are you? Tell me what happened at the AGM yesterday? I heard about some changes.

D: Yes, our 37th AGM for Deaf Australia was really successful. A big thank you to all our members who voted for the passing of the motion for two major changes: 1. Change from INC to Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) and 2. A new constitution with amendments added.

J: Can you tell me more about the change from INC to CLG?

D: Sure, the reason for the change to a company is to make advocacy smoother for Deaf Australia and to make it easier to work with for all of Australia as a CLG.

J: Great! It's a really exciting time for the changes for Deaf Australia and our future.

D: Definitely. I also want to let the community members know that we will update them as we progress with the changes over time from INC to CLG, and with the constitution. We will share the amendments with everyone.

J: It's exciting to see new things happening for the entire Deaf community in Australia.

D: True, it's very exciting for the future of Deaf Australia – really exciting times.

J: Thank you for telling me the updates. See you later. Bye.

Visual description

Debra Swann and Julie Lyons are outside chatting about the events at the recent DA 2023 AGM. Debra is wearing a black shirt and brown jacket. Julie is wearing a red shirt and black cardigan. They both have glasses. They are signing in an animated fashion towards each other. The background is full of Australian native plants in a range of silvery-greens.

17/11/2023

2023 Awards Winners Announced!

Transcript

[JULIE LYONS] Hello hello! How are you?
[KARTHIK VIJAYANANDAM] Hello, I’m good! Yourself?
[JL] Good, thank you. Hey, have you heard about the AGM?
[KV] Yup, I did.
[JL] Can you tell me more about the awards that were announced?
[KV] Yeah, no problem! There were 3 awards presented, I will explain the first 2. The first one is the Deaf Australian of the Year award. The second one is the Deaf Community Volunteer of the Year award.
[JL] Well who are they?
[KV] I will explain now. The Deaf Australian of the Year award goes to Jas Shirrefs (they/them)!
[JL] Can you tell me more about what they are involved in?
[KV] Jas is an impressive advocate for Deaf people. And not only for Deaf people! Also for the Deaf blind community, LGBTQ+ community, and the list goes on.
[JL] Wow all three!
[KV] And not only in Victoria, Australia-wide also. Through their social media they spread information and awareness about a variety of topics. They focus on intersectionality, the Deaf community, and awareness of global news using Auslan. Wow!
[JL] I have heard they are very inclusive, they want to involve everyone including Deaf blind people. Often Deaf blind people are forgotten about and we have to make sure they are included. It’s fantastic.
[KV] Yeah, that’s right. A perfect example, recently they were a part of deaf arts residency (DARE) in July. Jas was a part of that. They made sure the group thought of how to be inclusive of Deaf blind people. They made sure we organised a communication guide tour. It meant that Deaf blind people were able to access the event. A few other people were like “Ah, I’ve never thought of that!” So that is how Jas was a strong advocate for Deaf blind people. That’s really fantastic.
[JL] Incredible!
[Both] Congratulations Jas!
[JL] How about the other prize, Deaf Community Volunteer of the Year?
[KV] The winner of the Deaf Community Volunteer of the Year award goes to William Maggs (he/they)!
[JL] Fantastic. They’re a brilliant young man.
[KV] So how do we decide who wins this award? Actually, this decision comes from the Darwin family. Do you know Ann Darwin?
[JL] Yes that’s right, I know the Darwin family. I have seen her work, it’s really special.
[KV] Right! So Ann has been involved in Deaf Australia for 20 years. So, DA and Darwin family have agreed that William Maggs shall be the winner this year.
[JL] Will, well done! I think it’s fantastic to see more Deaf people getting involved in volunteer work and being a role model. Finally getting recognition for their work.
[KV] And on top that, he’s really young! Only 21 years old. They’ve made time to volunteer in numerous projects while still studying at university.
[JL] I’ve seen their art work. But they always explain about other peoples’ work, too. If it was me, I wouldn‘t think to share everyone’s work. I think it’s fantastic to see young people like this.
[KV] I agree, absolutely.
[JL] Wow, congratulations again Will! Now, I am interested to know the process for how Deaf people in the community can nominate someone for next year. Can you explain the nomination process to me?
[KV] Of course! Thank you, that’s a great question. This year we received a lot of nominations. So the board split up to tackle the work for both of the awards categories. We decide based on the information we receive. Some people who were nominated, we receive a few paragraphs about them. If they have examples of their impact on a local level, a national level and possibly even international level of impact. This means that the board takes into consideration how widespread their work impacts around Australia. Our recommendation is if you have a nominee you want to submit, try to explain to us in detail about them as much as possible. This way we, the board, can recognise if their influence is on a local, national or international level. And then we’ll pick the right person!
[JL] One more question, can the community submit their nominees information in Auslan or written English?
[KV] We accept both, you can do both.
[JL] Great! Well, I think we’ve used up all our time! We’ll leave the community to think about their nominees for next year 2024. They can brainstorm their picks and prepare their submissions to send to us. We will do more promoting and announce a bit more when we are ready to receive your nominations next year. Thanks for explaining it all to me, and I’ll see you later!
[KV] You’re welcome.
[Both] Bye!

Visual description

Opening slide: Graphic image features white text on a blue and green gradient background. At the top there is a white Deaf Australia logo. In the middle there is a winner award icon with "Awards 2023" written in it. Text reads "Winners Announced! Deaf Australian & Deaf Community Volunteer of the Year. Message from Deaf Australia Board."

Video features Deaf Australia board members Karthik Vijayanandam and Julie Lyons discussing recent winners for the 2023 Deaf Australian of the Year Award and the 2023 Deaf Community Volunteer of the Year Award. They are chatting over Zoom in different environments. Karthik is sitting in an office chair with a white background behind him. Julie sitting outside with a bamboo grass wall behind her. They both looks happy to be discussing this topic.

Closing slide: Graphic features white Deaf Australia logo on a green and blue gradient background. Text reads “Deaf Australia is a Deaf-leg advocacy and information organisation in Australia representing all Deaf, Deafblind, and hard-of-hearing people and others who use Auslan (Australian Sign Language) as their language of preference. Contact us: [email icon] [email protected], [website icon] https://buff.ly/40UXM8b, [Instagram and Twitter icons] @deafaustralia, [Facebook icon] DeafAustraliaInc”

Congratulations to all of our 2023 Awards winners!

Deaf Australian
of the Year

Jas Shirrefs

Deaf Youth Australian
of the Year

Shanleigh Meldrum

Deaf Community
Volunteer of the Year

William Maggs

Read more about their achievements below:
Deaf Australian
of the Year

Jas Shirrefs

Jas has been nominated Jas for their efforts in creating a more socially conscientious, empowered and considerate Australian Deaf community. Jas is a dedicated human rights activist with an intersectional lens, with the Deaf community at the heart of their work.

Over the past few years, they have mobilised the use of social media and their art practice to advocate and raise awareness about various social issues with a focus on providing access to information in Auslan as well as empowering the Australian Deaf and hard of hearing community.

They also have a strong passion for calling out biases and negative attitudes towards the deafblind community. Jas always considers the access and experience of deafblind people through the development and exhibition of their artwork, resulting in an art practice that is inherently inclusive with a focus on tactile artwork.

For example, during the decision-making process for the Deaf DARE residency project. Jas played an instrumental role in ensuring that the space was inclusive for Deaf-blind people including being involved in organising tactile tours specifically for Deaf-blind people across Australia.

Deaf Youth Australian
of the Year

Shanleigh Meldrum

Shanleigh’s outstanding contributions are being acknowledged today, as she has been nominated by a community member for her remarkable efforts at Bendigo Deaf Hub and her dedication to volunteering with the State Emergency Service (SES). Notably, she has played a pivotal role in establishing youth spaces across regional Victoria specifically designed for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) youth.

Recognising her commitment, the Victorian Government has honored Shanleigh for her volunteer work, a testament to her impactful contributions. In a noteworthy achievement, she was included in the Victorian Women Honour Roll for the year 2023.

Shanleigh has actively participated in emergency management forums, leveraging her involvement to raise awareness about the critical importance of disability inclusion and accessibility during emergencies. Her advocacy efforts have yielded tangible results, contributing to long-term benefits for Deaf, HoH, and Deafblind youth in regional and rural Victoria. Through her tireless work, she has heightened awareness of their unique needs, both in terms of mental and physical health.

In summary, Shanleigh’s dedication to fostering inclusivity and accessibility, particularly for the Deaf, HoH, and Deafblind youth in regional Victoria, has left an indelible mark. Her passion for emergency management and advocacy has not only garnered recognition from the community but has also translated into meaningful improvements in the lives of those she serves.

Deaf Community
Volunteer of the Year

William Maggs

William is a long-time member, multigenerational from Deaf family and he has volunteer his time not only in the South Australia Deaf Community but also within Australia Community. So as a young achiever, we believe he should recognise for their contribution especially over the last 12 months:

1. He has volunteer and a member of Deaf Rainbow NSW during the World Pride helping to organise events suitable for members of the Deaf Community. This involved organised gathering, set up of float, attending meetings, and designing marketing and logo branding all in his own time and cost.

2. He also Volunteer to be a Camp Presenter/Leader at the Crossing Boarder Camp in Brisbane in 2023. One week of extensive workshops, presenting to young emerging leaders, looking after young people, supervising, and doing photography for the camp.

3. Volunteered as a Youth participate attending Canberra to take part of the National Week of Deaf People at the Youth Parliamentary breakfast.

4. Been involved with the Deaf Gain Project and Panels as basically a volunteer work. This became a passion job for William to organise, set up and volunteer his own time for marketing and everything for this amazing project. This involves working with other members in other states and engaging them in the project.

5. Volunteer for the Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE) Gallery Events as event organiser setting up, bumping in and out to ensure the events run smoothly.

6. Worked with Adelaide TAFE SA for special events stall works. As a young achiever doing so much volunteering work all while he is also study at university, we believe is amazing to see that not only he volunteer at a local level in his community but also in the wider Australia Deaf Community.

02/11/2023

Auslan Santa 2023

Sign up information​

Santa Photography Key Dates:
Bookings open: 19 October 2023
Santa’s arrival in Westfield centres: From 12 November 2023
Photography dates: From 12 November (may vary by centre) until 24 December 2023

Sign up for a booking with Auslan Santa
Book with Auslan Santa
NSW

Westfield Liverpool:
● Thursday 23 November from 4pm – 7pm

Westfield Chatswood: 
● Sunday 26 November from 3pm – 6pm

Westfield Tuggerah:
● Wednesday 29 November from 3pm – 6pm

Westfield Parramatta:
● Wednesday 13 December from 4pm – 7pm

Westfield Miranda:
● Saturday 16 December from 9am – 12pm

VIC

Westfield Fountain Gate:
● Saturday 18 November from 3pm – 3pm
● Sunday 19 November from 3pm – 6pm

Westfield Southland:
● Thursday 23 November from 5pm – 8pm

Westfield Geelong:
● Sunday 26 November from 3pm – 6pm

QLD

Westfield Chermside:
● Wednesday 15 November from 3:30pm – 6:30pm
● Friday 1 December from 3:30pm – 6:30pm
● Friday 8 December from 3:30pm – 6:30pm

Westfield Coomera:
● Friday 17 November from 3pm – 6pm
● Friday 1 December from 9am – 12pm

Westfield North Lakes:
● Tuesday 28 November from 3:30pm – 7:30pm
● Tuesday 5 December from 3:30pm – 7:30pm

ACT

Westfield Woden:
● Sunday 19 November from 10am – 12pm

Westfield Belconnen:
● Sunday 19 November from 2pm – 4pm

SA

Westfield Tea Tree Plaza:
● Tuesday 14 November from 6pm – 9pm

Westfield Marion:
● Wednesday 15 November from 5:30pm – 8:30pm

WA

Westfield Carousel:
● Friday 17 November from 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Westfield Whitford City:
● Friday 1 December from 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Media Release (English)
Download Media Release
Sign up for a booking with Auslan Santa
Book with Auslan Santa
20/10/2023

37th Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Transcript

Hello all. Deaf Australia will have its 37th Annual General Meeting on Saturday 18th November 2023 at 2PM Sydney/Melbourne time. Our AGM will be at Meat Market in North Melbourne. We will utilise a hybrid model, which means the AGM will be in person and live streamed online. Please register for the AGM so we can organise catering for those who will be attending in person.

There are some important information related to voting at the AGM.

Our new Constitution with big changes eg. length of membership becoming annual not lifetime. Please make sure you read the proposed new Constitution prior to the AGM. You will get a copy of the new Constitution along with this Notice.

Deaf Australia plans to change from an incorporated association to Company Limited by Guarantee. The change needs to be voted by members.

Board nominations as there are three positions available. If you are interested in joining the Deaf Australia Board, please send your nomination form by Sunday 5th November 2023.

If you are unable to attend our AGM but would like to vote, please send your Proxy and Apology form by Sunday 12th November 2023.

If you have any items to be added to the Agenda, please email our CEO by Sunday 5th November 2023. The email address is [email protected].

During the AGM, we will also present three awards: Deaf Australian of the Year, Deaf Youth Australian of the Year, and Community Volunteer of the Year.

Deaf Australia will also facilitate a Q&A evening on Friday 17th November 2023, the day before our AGM. This is to give you an opportunity to get clarification or ask questions about our new Constitution. More information will be shared soon. Hope to see you there!

Dear Member,

Deaf Australia Inc will hold its thirty-seventh (37th) Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 18 November at 2.00 PM (Melbourne/Sydney) time at the Meat Market, North Melbourne, which will also be livestreamed online. 

To register in advance for the Annual General Meeting: Register here for online attendance. If you wish to attend in person, please fill out the RSVP form here. 

After registering, we will check your details against our membership database.* 

Important note: Make sure your full name and email address correspond with our database.

View attached PDFs:

  1. the notice of Annual General Meeting (PDF) | Watch the Auslan video above or on Vimeo
  2. the agenda for this meeting (PDF)
  3. the minutes of the last AGM (PDF)
  4. the minutes of the last SGM (PDF)
  5. the Annual Report (PDF)
  6. the Audited financial report (PDF)
  7. the new Constitution (PDF)

Q&A evening – 17th November 2023Deaf Australia will also run a Q&A evening on the 17th November 2023 at 6pm Melbourne/Sydney time where members will have the opportunity to get clarification or ask questions about our new constitution. Please register here.

Important dates deadline:

  1. Submit Board of Director nomination forms by Sunday, 5 November 2023;
  2. Propose your meeting agenda item/s by Sunday, 5 November 2023;
  3. Submit Apology and Proxy form by Sunday, 12 November 2023;
  4. Deaf Australia Awards 2023 Nominations by Sunday, 5 November 2023;

Quick Links:

Register for the AGM 2023 Online (18th Nov)
Register for the AGM 2023 In Person (18th Nov)
Register for the Q&A Evening (17th Nov)
Submit Board of Director Nomination Form
Send Your Apology and Proxy Form
Nominate Someone for the Awards

*Note: Members of the public that are not DA members may join us at the in-person event in Melbourne or watch online via FB Livestream (not the Zoom meeting). However, they cannot vote or participate in matters of governance.

13/09/2023

Highlights from the Parliamentary Breakfast at Parliament House in Canberra

Transcript

Video 1:

[All three] Hello, hello, hello!

[Debra] I'm Debra Swann, Chairperson of Deaf Australia.

[Catherine] I'm Catherine, usually a Policy Writer, but I'm here today to fill in for Jen's speech.

[Shirley] I'm Shirley, my role is Community and Youth Advocate.

[Debra] We are here in Canberra at Parliament House, and you might wonder why we are here?

[Catherine] We’re here for the National Week of Deaf People. We’re meeting all these impressive people.

[Shirley] We're excited for this upcoming lecture and networking opportunity with our government representatives, and it's wonderful that there are 11 youth representatives from all over Australia, the leaders of the future.

[All three] Definitely. Thank you and goodbye!

Video 2:

[Both] Hello, hello!

[Debra] We're here at Parliament House for the breakfast event with MPs, where we have the opportunity to network. How do you feel?

[Anabelle] I'm feeling inspired seeing young deaf representatives asking questions to the MPs, and they even interacted with Bill Shorten – that's just awesome! How about you?

[Debra] I'm also feeling inspired, seeing such diversity come together and question the MPs, showing them the main issues we face here in Australia.

[Anabelle] It's also great to have Auslan represented here in Parliament House with actual government officials. I think it's brilliant.

[Debra] Yes, absolutely brilliant.

[Both] Thank you, thank you.

Visual descriptions

Opening slide: Graphic features white Deaf Australia logo and Deaf Youth Australia logo on a blue and purple gradient background. There is a photograph of Catherine, Debra and Shirley standing in front of a Deaf Australia and Deaf Connect banner. Text reads "Deaf Australia and Deaf Youth Australia Updates. Highlights from the Parliamentary Breakfast at Parliament House in Canberra. Published 13 September 2023."

Video: Features two video updates from various Deaf Australia and Deaf Youth Australia staff and board members about their recent trip to Canberra for a Parliamentary Breakfast. Between the two videos is a slideshow of some images from the events.

Closing slide: Graphic features white Deaf Australia logo on a green and blue gradient background. Text reads “Deaf Australia is a Deaf-leg advocacy and information organisation in Australia representing all Deaf, Deafblind, and hard-of-hearing people and others who use Auslan (Australian Sign Language) as their language of preference. Contact us: [email icon] [email protected], [website icon] www.deafaustralia.org.au, [Instagram and Twitter icons] @deafaustralia, [Facebook icon] DeafAustraliaInc”

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