Phone service write-off
Communications worry for deaf and elderly
A CRUCIAL caption relay service that thousands of people with hearing problems rely on to make lifesaving calls to emergency services, as well as other calls, will be scrapped at the end of the month.
About 4000 people across the country, including some in Geelong, will be left without the Captel service providing captions to screens on their telephones due to funds cut from the National Relay Service (NRS) budget.
Concerned family members fear the quality of life of their elderly relatives who use the service will be severely impacted when the service is cut.
Bell Post Hill resident Barbara, 77, who has heart issues, has used the service for 10 months.
Her daughter Leonie said if Captel was cut, her mother’s only option would be to stop using her phone due to her poor hearing.
“If they take away the system, we don’t know what we can do,” she said.
Leonie fears her mother will not be able to properly communicate health problems with paramedics if Captel is stopped.
“When you have heart issues, you need assistance qquickly,” kly, she said.
Leonie said her mother also relied on Captel to make social arrangements with family and friends.
She has concerns online captioning relay alternatives, suggested by the Federal Government, would pose unnecessary delays. She said it would be near impossible for her mother to use an online relay service.
Corio MP Richard Marles said hundreds of people in Geelong and across Victoria would be impacted by the change.
“It has come as a shock to them because the Government refused to consult with the deaf community on this — the very people who will be directly impacted by this change,” Mr Marles said.
“Unfortunately, Barbara’s story isn’t the only one I have heard. It’s an incredibly distressing story.”
Last year a new contract was awarded to Concentrix Services Pty Ltd to manage and deliver the NRS for three years.
The contract means funding for the NRS falls from $30 million to $22 million, the
Federal Opposition says. The NRS is a vital service that allows people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment to make and receive phone calls.
More than 5000 people have signed a petition calling for Captel to be saved.
Concentrix Services referred the Addy’s questions to the federal Department of Communications, which did not respond by deadline.
Captel users can call the NRS help desk on 1800 555 660 or text 0416 001 350 to find alternatives.