5 years, 11 months, and 9 days

A letter from your local speech pathologist

We need an equitable increase

It has been 5 years, 11 months, and 9 days since the NDIS last increased the rate speech pathologists can bill per hour. To add to this, we have seen a 50% decrease to the way we can bill our time to travel to families who require a mobile service.

5 years, 11 months, and 9 days of absorbing rising costs, stretching ourselves thin, working ourselves into the ground — continuously crunching numbers, struggling to stay afloat, and worrying about our future.

We cannot and will not be silenced any longer.

What has changed in these 5 years and 11 months?

·       Inflation has risen 24.6% — what once cost $100 now costs $124.60.

·       The cost of employing our staff has increased by 22%.

·       The cost to rent clinic space has risen by 12.8%.

·       Electricity to power our clinics has surged by 30%.

·       The cost of housing our family has skyrocketed 39%, with average prices increasing by around $230,000 per home.

Let’s not forget: The Australian Speech Pathologist workforce is 97% female.

As a female-dominated profession, we face unique economic challenges—wage gaps, caregiving responsibilities, and now a funding freeze that makes it impossible to keep pace with the rising costs of living. This price freeze is squeezing us financially, threatening our ability to keep our businesses running and our families safe and warm.

This ongoing freeze is driving us out of a profession we worked so hard to enter. We have all studied a minimum of four years at University and most have spent a minimum of $40,000 for this education.

Without a fair, updated rate that reflects today’s realities, speech pathology services face an extremely uncertain future.

We are dedicated, passionate, and vital to supporting thousands of Australians every day. But without change, we simply cannot sustain this profession any longer.

Australians, Australian Government, NDIS, Speech Pathology Australia…

We need an equitable increase.

Please, we beg you to listen, hear us, and ACT.

Please show your support by signing our petition.