Page 3295 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 18 September 1990
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the hearing impaired students at Weetangera Primary School will be disadvantaged if they are relocated at Hawker Primary School? Will the hearing impaired children's hearing aids work effectively at Hawker Primary School, despite the noise generated by the air-conditioning?
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Ms Maher for her question; it is a timely one. The noise generated by the air-conditioning at Hawker Primary School, when the school is in use, is no greater - in fact, even marginally quieter - than the noise generated by the ventilation plant currently operating at Weetangera Primary. The hearing impaired students at Weetangera already experience low frequency interference to their hearing aids from the ventilation plant, and, of course, this is a chronic problem with the combination of electricity and such hearing aids. The low frequency interference at Hawker would be no greater, and quite possibly less. This problem occurs when the HIU students are integrated in mainstream classes, which are open-plan classes. Officers of the ministry visited Hawker and Weetangera schools to assess the physical facilities available at Hawker Primary for the relocation of the HIU. Through Australian Construction Services the ministry engaged a consultant to carry out an acoustic acceptability survey for both Hawker and Weetangera primary schools.
The consultants were Mark Eisner and Eric Taylor. Mr Eisner's experience has been used for many school designs and refurbishment projects. He has undertaken work on ACT and New South Wales schools for the hearing impaired. They visited those schools today, and a full report will be available, I understand, by the end of this week. Their preliminary findings, however, are that the reverberation levels were similar, but a low level increase in reverberance at Weetangera could have an adverse effect on the hearing capacity of hearing impaired unit students.
Generally speaking, I think it is true to say, Mr Speaker, that Hawker is a more favourable location for the hearing impaired unit, and there is no significant difference in the classroom environments when the hearing impaired units are integrated.
Weston Creek Health Centre
MR BERRY: My question is directed to the Minister for Health. Mr Humphries, what assessment of the needs in the Weston Creek area and what consultation with the community were conducted before the decision was taken to close, reduce, and relocate services which were formerly delivered from the Weston Creek Health Centre?
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Mr Berry for his question, Mr Speaker. The decision has been made, as I am sure Mr Berry is aware, to relocate the Therapy Centre that is currently located at the old South Curtin School to the Weston Creek
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