By now, you have likely heard the devastating news that the Medicare Benefits Scheme M10 eligibility will be expanded to include stuttering, speech sound disorders (SSDs), and cleft lip ± palate BUT not Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). While we are over the moon for these important conditions and those affected, this is a hard pill to swallow for the DLD community after years partnering with Speech Pathology Australia to advocate for the needs of people with this hidden disability.
Our friends at A Current Affair ran this great piece holding the government accountable for this major oversight. Watch it here.
Additionally, our petition to the Federal Health & NDIS Minster, The Hon Mark Butler MP has reached over 2,000 signatures and is growing every day! You can view and sign it here: https://chng.it/t4jXjVyRGP
yOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Collaboration unlocks potential, and we are inspired every day by the strength of the DLD community and the impact we can create together. Your story is powerful and by sharing it in a letter/email with those in power, we have the best chance to bring about change.
We need your voice.
Write a letter to the Federal Minister for Health and NDIS today, sharing your personal connection to Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Tell them why DLD must be urgently included under Medicare.
Be real. Be raw.
Whether you’re a parent, carer, educator, clinician, or advocate—your story matters. Share the emotional highs, the exhausting lows, the barriers you’ve faced trying to access the NDIS or afford therapy. Describe the impossible choices families are forced to make and how this hidden disability impacts lives every single day.
Our leaders must hear directly from Australians living through this. They need to understand that excluding DLD from Medicare (and the NDIS) is leaving thousands without support.
We cannot afford to stay silent.
Here are two sample letters to inspire you! Many thanks to Jessica, parent of a child with DLD for collaborating with us on these letters. Importantly, please be sure to use these letters as a template and change it to reflect your story/connection with DLD.
Send your letter now. Every voice counts. Every story matters. Together, we can make change happen.
how you can put DLD on the Australian Political agenda
Priority 1: contact THE FEDERAL HEALTH & ndis MINISTER
For inspiration, please see our most recent letter to The Hon Mark Butler MP here.
By Mail:
The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
By Email:
By Phone:
(02) 6277 7220
pRIORITY 2: Write to your LOCAL Federal MP
Click here to find your local federal MP.
pRIORITY 3: Write to the Health Minister FOR your state/tERRITORY
NSW
Minister for Health, The Hon. Ryan Park, MP
The Hon. Ryan Park MP
GPO Box 5341
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Email your letter via the online contact form available here.
Phone: (02) 7225 6050
VIC
Minister for Health, The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP
Email: minister.health@health.vic.gov.au
Phone: (03) 9096 8561
QLD
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, The Hon Timothy (Tim) Nicholls MP
Email: health@ministerial.qld.gov.au
Phone: (07) 3035 6100
GPO Box 48
BRISBANE QLD 4001
SA
Minister for Health and Wellbeing, The Hon Chris Picton
Email: Ministerforhealth@sa.gov.au
Phone: (08) 7117 6500
TAS
Minister for Health, The Hon Jo Palmer MLC
Email: jo.palmer@parliament.tas.gov.au
Phone: (03) 6165 9420
WA
Minister for Health, The Hon Meredith Hammat MLA
Email: Meredith.Hammat@mp.wa.gov.au
Mail: PO Box 669, Mirrabooka, WA 6941
Phone: 9345 2005
ACT
Minister for Health, The Hon Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA
Email: stephen-smith@act.gov.au
Mail: GPO Box 1020, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: (02) 6205 2661
NT
Minister for Health, The Hon Steven Edgington
Email: Minister.Edgington@nt.gov.au
Phone: 08 8999 8635
Mail: GPO Box 3146, Darwin NT, 0801
Encourage others to share their story too
If you’ve written to the federal minister and his fellow politicians about DLD, encourage your friends, fellow families, educators, and health professionals to do the same — every voice adds pressure, and together, we can’t be ignored.
Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to write to the government in support of Medicare funding for people with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Your voice matters, and your willingness to speak up is helping to shine a light on a hidden disability that affects so many Australians. Every story shared and every letter sent brings us one step closer to lasting change. Your advocacy is powerful — and deeply appreciated by the entire DLD community. Together, we are making DLD visible and impossible to ignore.
