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Help CleftKids Speak: Urgent Access to Speech Therapy Now

A plea for the children
Children born with a cleft lip or palate condition are missing out on vital speech therapy due to a gap in Medicare. Private therapy sessions cost up to $220 each, and these children often need hundreds of sessions over several years to learn to speak clearly. Without support, they face challenges with communication, bullying, developmental delays, and behavioural issues.

Imagine your child starting kindergarten and not being unable to say their name clearly, make friends easily or answer the teacher in class.

Did you know 1 in 700 Australian children are born with a cleft? Right now, hundreds of children across the country are being left behind because Medicare does not cover the services they need. We urge Health Minister Mark Butler to take the long-overdue opportunity and fix this issue in this years budget.

CleftPALS has been advocating for this gap to be addressed since 2009, yet 16 years later, these children are still waiting. We need Minister Mark Butler to take action and ensure cleft-affected children can access the care they deserve.

You can help. Use the form below to contact your federal MP today. Please add a sentence or two that tells your MP how this issue affects your family.

Together, we can secure access to the Medicare support cleft-affected children ahead of the upcoming election.
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Timothy Devlin and Jessica Beckman
Presidents, CleftPALS
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