What the Tasmanian Liberals will do:

Partner with Tasdeaf to provide specialist smoke alarms for severely to profoundly deaf Tasmanians.

The Tasmanian Liberals will partner with Tasdeaf in the subsidisation and provision of specialist smoke alarms for severely and profoundly deaf Tasmanians.

The program will target up to 100 Tasmanians. Tasdeaf will assess client eligibility for the program which will provide a specialist alert system to Tasmanians with a hearing loss of 75 decibels or more.

The cost of each system is estimated at $500, and a Hodgman Liberal Government would subsidise each unit to the value of $450, reducing the overall cost to $50, ensuring equity with a standard smoke alarm.

This program comes at a small cost but will have significant benefits in ensuring equity for those at increased risk because of their disability, and will save lives.

Why this policy is needed
Hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities in Australia, affecting around 22% of the population, while 1 in 3 Australians over the age of 65 have significant hearing loss. The ABS census report shows there are at least 200 Auslan signing people in Tasmania.

Smoke alarms which rely on a visual alert of flashing light and/or vibrating alert are available but can cost up to $500.

In 2003, following the death of an elderly hearing impaired man at Ouse in a house fire, the Coroner noted that had a visual/sensory smoke alarm been fitted, “it may have alerted the deceased sooner and possibly have saved his life”.

Following this, Tasdeaf, with the support of the Tasmanian Fire Service, approached the State Labor Government with a policy proposal to subsidise visual smoke alarms. The request was denied, and has been declined every year since by successive Labor Ministers, despite the Government setting up a working group in 2006, and the death of another hearing impaired elderly man in a fire at Elizabeth Town in 2007.

Three other States – South Australia, Queensland and Victoria – have programs in place to make specialist smoke alarms more affordable for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people.

In Tasmania, only those living in public housing are able to access assistance with specialist smoke alarms. Those living in private rental or their own homes are not eligible for assistance.

A survey by Tasdeaf in 2009, found 59% of survey participants did not have specialist smoke alarms fitted because of the cost and 22% were not aware that specialist alarms were available. Just 11 out of 89 households had suitable smoke alarms for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

After 11 years of Labor...
After 11 years in office, the State Labor Government has continuously failed to support the expenditure of a small amount needed to subsidise specialist alarms for the severely and profoundly deaf in Tasmania.

Tasdeaf began lobbying the State Labor Government on this issue in 2003, while the Liberals committed to subsidising specialist alarms in 2005. The Liberal commitment has remained firm.

*The Liberals have already committed to doubling annual funding available to the Community Equipment Scheme. Given specialist smoke alarms are for people with disabilities, the additional cost ($47,100 in 2010-11 to purchase 75 units, and $13,000 per year to 2013-14 for 15 units a year) would be met through the increased funding to the CES.