News

Honouring Sister Helen Clifton Merrin

Sister Helen Clifton Merrin has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for her outstanding contributions to special needs education and the Catholic Church in Australia.

Free webinars: Aged care changes and what they mean for you

Aged Care

The Australian Government is currently delivering a number of reforms to improve transparency and quality of aged care services. Over the next year, we expect to see the introduction of a new Aged Care Act, strengthened Quality Standards and an updated Support at Home program. Vision Australia is holding two free webinars to help you understand these changes and what they mean for you

Leading deafblindness bodies call for urgent action to assist gro...

News

This Deafblind Awareness Week (June 24 to June 30), a group of leading service, research and community organisations are urging government to change the way they address deafblindness in education so that children with multi-sensory impairments can obtain appropriate intervention and support.

An update on the delay of the new Aged Care Act

The Albanese Government has expressed its gratitude to older people, their families, carers, advocates, and aged care providers for their invaluable input on the proposed new Aged Care Act.

New updates in the Changes to Aged Care government booklet

The Department of Health and Aged Care in Australia has recently revised their booklet regarding the changes in aged care.

Vision Australia's Telelink Winter Workshops for 2024

Our Winter Telelink workshops are back in 2024! Join us for two workshops that are the perfect ways to fill your Winter days.

Vision Australia's Telelink Winter Webinar Series 2024

Join us on a journey into the extraordinary with our Winter Webinar Series, returning for 2024!

Recommended Reads from the Melbourne Writers Festival

Library

Vision Australia Library was proud to partner with the 2024 Melbourne Writers Festival in May, hosting Toby Walsh in conversation on Machines Behaving Badly and Louise Milligan in conversation on her debut novel Pheasants Nest. Machines Behaving Badly and Pheasants Nest are both available in DAISY audio from the Vision Australia Library, along with the following selection of Festival highlights: International headliners Day by Michael Cunningham Michael Cunningham headlined the Festival’s opening night to introduce his first novel in ten years, Day. This family saga follows the inner lives of a Brooklyn family through three days of a pandemic, haunted by unconventional loves and unrealised dreams. Available in DAISY audio. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Beloved US author Ann Patchett returned to the Festival on the back of her bestseller Tom Lake, a gentle meditation on family love and the passage of time. Set in a Michigan cherry orchard, narrator Lara tells her adult children about the youthful love affair she shared with the famous actor Peter Duke. Available in DAISY audio. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray The Bee Sting, by Irish writer Paul Murray, follows the four members of the Barnes family as they flounder in the wake of economic and environmental turmoil. Secrets from the past reverberate through to the present as Dickie, his wife Imelda, teenage daughter Cass and 12-year-old PJ reckon with their history and whether the future is already written. Available in DAISY audio. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s debut novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is set in an underground café that’s been serving carefully brewed coffee with a beguiling promise – the chance to travel back in time. Available in DAISY audio. Local voices Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright Alexis Wright appeared at the Festival after winning the Stella Prize for Praiseworthy – the first writer to win the prize twice. Praiseworthy is an Australian epic, described as the most ‘ambitions and accomplished Australian novel of this century’ for its deep exploration of sovereignty and identity set in the fictional township of Praiseworthy. Available in DAISY audio. Women and Children by Tony Birch Women and Children is a tender novel set in 1965 that follows Joe, his mum and sister as they navigate life in a working-class suburb. Tony Birch was presented with The Age 2024 Fiction Book of the Year award on the Festival’s opening night, with Women and Children lauded as a novel of ‘great humanity’ with ‘particular relevance as the discussion about violence against women and within families is at the forefront of our minds’. Available in DAISY audio. Unfinished Woman: A Memoir by Robyn Davidson Robyn Davidson journeyed solo across the Australian desert in 1977 with her camels and dog, an experience recounted in her 1980 bestseller Tracks. After a lifetime of travel, Robyn takes a journey back to her past in Unfinished Woman, a revealing memoir confronting the early losses of her childhood. Available in DAISY audio. A Brilliant Life by Rachelle Unreich Over seventy years had passed since Rachelle Unreich’s mother Mira was freed from a concentration camp in Germany. When Rachelle realized time was running out for Mira, who was ill with cancer, she resolved to undertake the most important interview of her life and discover the surprising secrets to her mother’s resilience and joy. A Brilliant Life captures the connection between mother and daughter and retells Mira’s extraordinary life. Available in DAISY Audio.

There’s adventure and learning ahead for Zarli!

Vision Australia newsletter

Today, Zarli is a bubbly, energetic three-year-old on a great adventure – a 12-month road trip around Australia!