Acting PM applauds new centre for audiology innovation in Macquarie Park, new home for NextSense

Acting Prime Minister the Hon. Richard Marles MP dropped in to Macquarie Park last week to visit the new state-of-the-art headquarters of NextSense, which will support people with hearing or vision loss when they open soon on Macquarie University campus.

The $74 million centre for innovation - which received a $12.5 million Australian Government grant - will house a school and a pre-school, as well as custom therapy spaces for delivering services such as speech pathology, audiology, and hearing and vision early intervention services for children.

The centre will also encourage further education for teachers and therapists, and leverage partnership by offering collaboration spaces to other organisations in the hearing and vision sectors based in Macquarie Park and beyond.

The incoming facility will boost Macquarie Park’s existing hearing offer - which includes industry giant Cochlear and the Australian Hearing Hub - co-locating NextSense with a cluster of audiology-focused research, innovation and education organisations.

Visiting the new facility alongside Federal MP for Bennelong the Hon. Jerome Laxale, Acting Prime Minister Marles commended NextSense for their innovative approach to improving outcomes for Australians who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision:

“[It was] a pleasure to visit NextSense…The work they provide is invaluable and the finished works will provide a new level of support to the local community”.

Ministerial guests also discussed how innovation has been a ‘game changer’ in this division of specialist care, and flagged how important it is for children, adults and families to have choices and be able to make decisions that work for them.

NextSense Chief Executive Chris Rehn dubbed the new centre an “investment in the future” that would enable the organisation to enhance its services as well as build new partnerships. He highlighted Macquarie Park as the ideal location for the facility:

“Around 3.6 million Australians have hearing loss and some 500,000 have vision loss currently, and these numbers are projected to grow significantly…”

“The growing number of people benefiting from our services means the new centre for innovation will be much more than just a building”

“Situated in one of Australia’s leading innovation districts - Macquarie Park - our new centre will be at the heart of a broader ecosystem that will help build a more inclusive Australia”.

Minister Marles was Acting PM while Anthony Albanese was in Germany for NATO and defence trade talks.