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Upcoming Events
Date: TO BE ADVISED
Time:
Place: .
Date: To be advised
Time: 8:00 PM
Place: Trades Hall - Evatt Room (cnr. Victoria Pde.& Lygon st. Carlton Melbourne).
Date: TO BE ADVISED
Time: TO BE ADVISED
Place: STATE LIBRARY (cnr.Swanston & Latrobe sts Melbourne).
Welcome to the Defend and Extend Medicare
site
The Governments changes proposed for Medicare
will create a two tier health care system that will see an explosion in
health care costs for non concession card holders and the development
of a second rate system for concession card holders.
Most people will be worse off. You will
most probably be worse off, and with your health on the line we must all
make these changes a major federal election issue.
LEARN MORE>>>
Links
(Health Consumers for Medicare
Collective)
(Victorian Medicare Action Group)
(Victorian Trades Hall Council - Medicare campaign)
(National Medicare Alliance)
(ACTU - protest letter page)
(ANF Victoria - news item)
(ALP - Save Medicare)
(Nurses Campaign to Retain Medicare)
Dr Joseph Toscano / Jennie Solis / Mr Brendan Bride, National Convenors Defend and Extend Medicare
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Official Reading
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Federal Electorates Groups Reading
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Official reading releases have been approved by the Defend and Extend Medicare Australia delegates meetings
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Articles include those of autonomous federal electorate groups that are members of the Defend and Extend Medicare Australia Federation, and individual "friends" of the organization. The views expressed are NOT necessarily endorsed by any official body of the group.
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OFFICIAL GROUP ARTICLES |
OLDER OFFICIAL ARTICLES
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Tuesday 30th August 2005
Dear Editor,
The Age’s editorial ‘The leaking of democracy (29/8)’ and Petro Georgiou’s article about the contempt of court charges faced by two journalists from the Herald Sun - ‘Declarations about the value of a fearless press ring hollow – The Age (29/8)’ leaves me co... |
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Now that the privatisation of what is left of Telstra has been bedded down, the Federal government has turned its attention to Medibank Private. Why should anybody, especially Australians who don’t have the resources to buy private health insurance, be concerned about a private health insurance?
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Ho Hum
- 2004-12-16 |
A study released in the Australian Health Review on the 13th December 2004 reinforced what opponents to the government’s $3-billion health care rebate have known all along. The Howard government has consistently claimed that the rebate decreases pressure on the public hospital sector, stating that ... |
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The Sunday Age's Taverner Poll (31/10) on General Practitioners attitudes to fee increases and bulk billing highlights that the Howard government's Medicare Plus package was designed to increase pressures on General Practitioners to abandon bulk billing and charge up-front private fees. The Coaliti... |
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Letter To The Editor
Friday 1st October 2004
It's good to see that the Federal Labor Opposition has adopted the Gold Medicare Card for people over 75, one of Defend and Extend Medicare's major recommendations as their central re-election policy. The thinking behind Defend and Extend Medicare's... |
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High bulk billing rates are good for patients, good for doctors and good for the economy. The higher the number of patients bulk billed by doctors, the fewer out of pocket expenses faced by patients when visiting a doctor or having pathological or radiological tests. The fewer out of pocket expens... |
Tragic
- 2004-09-07 |
It's extraordinary how little understanding John Howard and his Health Minister, Tony Abbott have about the health care delivery system in this country. To claim that the government's latest attempts to woo over undecided voters, makes them "friends" of Medicare is both wrong and misleading. High ... |
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Monday 23 rd August, 2004 Dear Editor, Not content with increasing the health care costs of non-concession card holders and providing a second rate service to concession card holders through the much vaunted but failed Medicare Plus package, the Howard government has increased the amount of taxpay... |
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The extension of Abbott's much vaunted Medicare Plus package to include some of Australia's most marginal regional and outer metropolitan electorates is an indication that the government's Medicare reforms have failed to meet Abbott's rhetoric. The Howard government's Medicare changes have succeeded... |
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In spite of the denials of the Australian intelligence regulators the Herald Sun repeated the claim on 13th July that the Defend and Extend Medicare group has been investigate by the Australian intelligence forces. If these claims of investigation were true then it would almost certainly be an illeg... |
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ALP leader Mark Latham¹s guarantee that if the Labor Party wins the next election they will continue to subsidise the private health insurance costs of the 43% of Australians who can afford to take out private health insurance (Sunday Age 18/7), flies in the face of everything that Labor has claimed... |
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Mr Carnell (Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security) has replied to the group in regard to his investigation into allegations of illegal use of Austrlian Intelligence agencies against the Defend and Extend Medicare group.
In this letter he clarifies questions about questioning Tony Abbott... |
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Thursday 10th June 2004
Dear Editor,
Over ten million Australian households received a 'Strengthening Medicare' booklet last week courtesy of the Australian government. It seems that Senator, the Honourable Eric Abetz the Special Minister of State, the man who's credited with writing the book... |
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Tuesday 1 st June 2004 Dear Editor, It’s interesting to note that the federal government is using millions of taxpayer’s dollars to sell their Medicare Plus package while they’re crowing about minor rises in bulk billing rates and a small in-crease in the number of General Practitioners who have e... |
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Defend and Extend Medicare Australia, has been following a strategy of holding public rallies to highlight the problems that Australians face accessing the health care delivery system. As the Federal election draws closer, they have decided to follow a strategy that is followed by most political and... |
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The group has replied to Mr Carnell (Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security) in regard to his investigation into allegations of illegal use of Austrlian Intelligence agencies against the Defend and Extend Medicare group.
Below is a transcription of the offical reply from the group to Mr C... |
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In response to requests to investigate a Herald Sun claims, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security has written to the group with a reply.
Below is a transcript of the letter. A link on this page has a scan of the letter.
TRANSCRIPT
As you are aware, my predecessor as Inspector... |
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5: 30 pm State Library, 12th May 2004.
An Open Letter to the defenders of universal health care, the architects of the Medicare minus package which destroyed it and for those who are curious.
A small quiet group of concerned citizens stood in a semi-circle around the speaker under the street ... |
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The Defend and Extend Medicare group has been in correspondence with numerous government and civil organizations raising awareness and expressing our disgust at series of Herald Sun articles about our group. The article strongly implied that this group has been spied upon by government intelligence ... |
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In pursuit of our goal to form a broad coalition one of the invitation to speak at our rallies was to the Archbishop of Melbourne. We thank the Archbishop for indicating that he was open to speaking at the rally but otherwise unavailable. Below is the text of a reply letter the Archbishop sent (lin... |
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The Age's Health Editor, Tom Noble is wrong to suggest that doctors are set to exploit a Medicare loophole (Age 26/4). Doctors are not exploiting a loophole in Abbott's much vaunted, Medicare Plus package, they are exploiting a package that is fatally flawed. Defend and Extend Medicare Australia h... |
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Recently released research by the Australian College of emergency physicians has identified that 9000 acute public hospital beds have been lost in the past decade. Public hospitals are running at 100% capacity with many public hospitals having to hold patients who require acute admission in acciden... |
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MONDAY 19TH APRIL 2004. Dear Ms. Lisa FITZPATRICK, On behalf of Defend and Extend Medicare Australia, I'd like to invite you to address the SEVENTH DEFEND AND EXTEND MEDICARE RALLY that will be held at 5.30PM on Wednesday the 12th of May on the forecourt of the State Library of Victoria at the cor... |
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The first figures that have been released about the uptake by doctors of Abbott's much-vaunted differential Medicare rebate, have vindicated the stand taken by activists who have claimed that the introduction of a differential rebate on the 1st February marked the end of Medicare as a universal heal... |
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7TH DEFEND AND EXTEND MEDICARE RALLY
POST BUDGET RALLY
Wednesday 12th MAY
5:30 P.M.
STATE LIBRARY FORECOURT
(Corner Swanston and La Trobe Street Melbourne)
JOIN US!!
HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT NOT A CHARITY OR A LUXURY
We are fighting to maintain and improve universal access to health care f... |
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Below are three letter from the Defend & Extend Medicare Australia to:
Tony Abbot - Federal Minister for Health and Ageing
Senator Kay Patterson, / Former Federal Minister for Health and Ageing
Jane HALTON / Secretary Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
The letters are ... |
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The Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott, implying that he would have come to the Defend & Extend Medicare Rally on the 1st of April in Melbourne.
The text of his letter is below (The PDF link on this page also has a copy of letter).
"I am writing in response to your advice to Hon Tony ... |
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Rhonda Jankovic’s Rally Journal.
6th Defend and Extend Medicare Rally, 1st April, 2004 – 12.15pm at the State Library Forecourt.
It was an overcast and blustery afternoon. On occasion the sunlight made its way through the grey clouds and radiated upon us that modern sunlight which bites the sk... |
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Defend and Extend Medicare Australia wrote to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security urging him to investigate if the Herald Sun had been illegally briefed by Australian Government Intelligence agents. Below is the Inspector-Generals response.
The text of the W J Blicks letter reads:
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The Archbishop has replied to Defend and Extend Medicare Australia’s invitation to speak at the 1st of April rally in Melbourne. In the reply he wished the campaign ‘every good wish for the project and future’ and that he regrets that he will be unable to speak at the rally.
Below is the text of... |
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The Howard government’s “Medicare Plus” package is fatally flawed. The raft of legislation that will be passed through the Senate by the four independents is based on distortions, half truths and lies. Abbott the Federal Health Minister has succeeded in deceiving Harradine, Harris, Lees and Murphy,... |
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Tony Abbott, the current Federal Health Minister is not up to the task. He seems to be having a great deal of difficulty in grappling with the health care portfolio. The current negotiations that are being conducted with the few independents in the Senate, highlights how out of touch he is with th... |
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19th February 2004
Dear Director of Compliance,
I've been asked as a result of a decision made at the Defend and Extend Medicare Australia delegates meeting on the 12th of February to lodge an official complaint about the abuse of the privacy of Defend and Extend Medicare members named in The ... |
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21st February 2004
Dear Mr. Blick / Inspector General of Intelligence and Security,
I understand you've been asked by Mr. Robert McClelland, the Shadow Homeland Security Minister to investigate the possible abuse of information held by security service agencies in a case involving Defend an... |
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WEDNESDAY 3RD MARCH 2004.
OPEN LETTER
On behalf of Defend and Extend Medicare Australia, I'd like to invite you to address the SIXTH DEFEND AND EXTEND MEDICARE RALLY that will be held at Midday on Thursday the 1st of April (Speakers commence at 12:15 p.m.) on the forecourt of the State Library... |
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Friday 20th February 2004
Dear Mr. Kelty / Chief Commissioner Federal Police,
I'm writing to you on behalf of Defend and Extend Medicare Australia as a result of a decision made at a delegates meeting on Thursday the 12th of February about a matter, which concerns us.
On the 5th, 6th and 7... |
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Sadly no, the current crisis regarding the number of general practitioners in the community is both real and immediate. General practitioners are a vanishing breed, the average age of the workforce is forty-nine. The number of new graduates undertaking onerous general practitioner courses are mini... |
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The article in Saturday's Age (14-2) on the continuing fall in bulk billing rates and Mr. Abbott's response to the lowest bulk billing rate in fourteen years highlights that the issue facing the community is not doctors incomes but universal access to the health care delivery system. His assertion ... |
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Rhonda Jankovic’s Defend and Extend Medicare Journal.
It was an amusing journey to the great Melbourne metropolis to engage in the ritual of a community rally. Today was the 5th monthly Defend and Extend Medicare rally scheduled for high noon, Friday the 13th of February in front of the Victori... |
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ALP Shadow Minister for Homeland Security, Robert McClelland, has pledges to raise Herald Suns senior intelligence claims with the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security.
Download the PDF of the Shadow Ministers letter to Defend and Extend Medicare (large - 356 KB) from the link above.... |
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6TH DEFEND AND EXTEND MEDICARE RALLY MIDDAY
THURSDAY 1st APRIL 2004
(SPEAKERS COMMENCE AT 12:15 PM)
AT THE VICTORIAN STATE LIBRARY FORECOURT
(Corner of LaTrobe & Swanston Streets Melbourne)
"JOIN US ON APRIL FOOLS DAY AND RATTLE ABBOTTS AND HOWARDS CAGE"
HEALTH CARE IS A RIGHT NOT ... |
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The introduction of a differential Medicare rebate by regulation by the Howard government on Sunday the 1st of February marks the end of Medicare as a universal health care delivery system. Despite Abbott's assurances that paying general practitioners an extra five dollars per consultation if they ... |
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Linked is a Adobe Acrobat PDF document which are replies from the Australian Press Council (APC). The two letters tell the Defend And Extend Medicare group that it must waive it's legal rights against the Herald Sun before the APC will investigate the conduct of the Herald Suns smear campaigne again... |
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Defend and Extend Medicare - Australia healthcare is a right not a charity or a luxury Spokespersons; Dr. Joseph Toscano, Ms. Julie Jones, Mr.Brendan Bride. Address: PO Box 5035 Alphington 3078 Melbourne Australia. Telephone: 0439 395 489 email: info@defendandextendmedicare.org web: www.defendande... |
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Wednesday 21st January 2004 Dear Mr. Dennis RICHARDSON, I'm writing to you on behalf of Defend and Extend Medicare - Australia as a consequence of a decision made at our delegates meeting in Melbourne on the 15th of January 2004 to contact A.S.I.O. about a matter that concerns us. We're concerned... |
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It’s a pity that journalists, even journalists with a reputation for astute political analysis have not alerted their readers, listeners and viewers to the misleading content in the Howard government's Medicare Plus package. Its ironic that Medicare Plus a package that the Federal Health, Minister ... |
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It's official, private health insurance rates will be increasing in March. On Monday the Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott indicated that he will be rubber-stamping the private health funds application to increase their fees in the next few month's. So what? Only forty percent of Australians h... |
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On the 1st of February the Howard government will have finally succeeded in destroying universal health cover in this country. The introduction of a differential Medicare rebate through a series of regulations that does not need Federal Parliamentary approval will destroy Medicare, the most importa... |
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WE NEED TO BREAK THROUGH THE NEWS BLACKOUT RE: RALLIES PLEASE CONSIDER USING TALKBACK TO ADVERTISE TIME DATE AND VENUE OF RALLY TALKBACK ABC 774 9414 1774 / 1800 033 800 ABC Radio National 3AW 9696 1278 Breakfast with Red Symons Mon-Fri 6am-7.45am Australia Talks Back 1800 802 341 Neil Mitchell... | OLDER OFFICIAL ARTICLES |
