The Shepherd Centre has opened its newest facility in Launceston, expanding vital support for children with hearing loss and their families across Northern Tasmania.
Mr Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Aged Care, opened the centre on International Cochlear Implant Day 25 February 2025, delivering on a Federal Government election commitment to fund the project and ensure permanent hearing support for children in the region.
Dr Aleisha Davis, The Shepherd Centre CEO, said the centre was a much-needed development and more children with hearing loss and their families could now access the life-changing support they needed.
“This milestone is the result of tireless work from everyone involved, ensuring local, accessible support for children with hearing loss and their families,” she said.
Mr Butler said he was proud to deliver the centre so children with hearing loss in Northern Tasmania could receive the support they need, where and when they need it.
“Over many decades the Shepherd Centre has proved time and again that their work is making a real difference to children with hearing loss and their families,” Mr Butler said. “For the first time, they’ll get tailored, local support from healthcare specialists providing wraparound care for hearing loss.”
Dr Davis said hearing loss affected one in 1,000 children at birth, with another two diagnosed before they started school. Historically, Tasmania lacked specialist early intervention services to support these children during crucial developmental years.
Change began from 2014 when The Shepherd Centre introduced virtual support and fly-in, fly-out services to Tasmania. In 2022, it opened its first physical location in Hobart, and currently supports 62 children across the state, including 17 in Launceston.
“Before The Shepherd Centre’s arrival, Tasmania had never had an early intervention specialist supporting children with all types of hearing loss,” Dr Davis said. “Without critical care from an early age, these children face significant social, educational, and economic disadvantages.”
The organisation pioneered Australia’s first wraparound early intervention model which brings together audiologists, family and child counsellors, and listening and spoken language specialists to provide comprehensive, personalised care.
“We take pride in our wraparound care, which has set the standard in paediatric hearing support. Our goal is to equip children with the listening, spoken language, and social skills they need to experience true inclusion and a world of opportunities.
“Research shows that children who access our wraparound services can achieve language skills on par with their hearing peers,” Dr Davis said.
Located at 124 Talbot-Rd, South Launceston, the centre will provide support for children from a few weeks old, helping them develop essential listening, spoken language, and social skills throughout childhood.
With services extending to school-aged children up to 18 years old, the expansion reinforces the organisation’s commitment to lifelong support for children with hearing loss.
Parent Kirsty whose daughter Madelyn was diagnosed with Muenke syndrome when she was five, said she knew first-hand the life-changing benefits The Shepherd Centre could bring to families who need reliable, friendly support in times of uncertainty.
“Accessing specialist hearing support in Burnie has always been challenging. It took years for us to get a diagnosis for Madelyn, and even after that, long wait times made it difficult to secure speech therapy,” Kirsty said.
“The Shepherd Centre stepped in and provided the therapy she needed through telehealth, but in-person support is invaluable. The new Launceston centre means families like ours, who live hours away, now have a place to go for major assessments and face-to-face care.
“It also gives us the chance to meet other families on the same journey, which is something we’ve never really had before. This centre will be life-changing for families across Northern Tasmania, making expert hearing services more accessible.
“For the first time, they’ll get tailored, local support from healthcare specialists providing wraparound care for hearing loss.”
The Launceston centre is the third centre to be delivered as part of the Albanese Government’s $6.5 million investment to address gaps in hearing services available for children, with other centres in Hobart and Oran Park, Sydney.
The funding will also scale up the centre’s HearHub digital platform so help is available regardless of geographical location.
