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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.

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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

The Issue

The changes which are proposed for Medicare, as we are all aware, 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.

The Group

DEFEND AND EXTEND MEDICARE is a non party political single health care group that wants to ensure that access to good health care is a right not a charity. We would like to see the establishment of grass roots Defend and Extend Medicare groups in all 150 Federal electorates.

Defend and Extend Electoral Groups are autonomous, membership is open to anyone who believes that health care should be a right, not a charity or a luxury. Local groups decide on their own strategy, elect their own office bearers and should be financially self-sufficient. Delegates from established Defend and Extend Medicare groups meet every few weeks to coordinate projects and activities and discuss the possibility of combined action at both the local, regional and national level. Delegates from Defend and Extend Medicare groups meet nationally at least once every six months.

Currently the hub of activity is Victoria, we need to break out of our isolation and form groups around Australia if we are to be effective. Defend and Extend Medicare is open to both health care recipients and providers both in the public and private sector. We see ourselves as part of a larger movement that is trying to defend Medicare. We are not only interested in defending what we have, but want to extend the underlying universal health care principles that Medicare should embody.

After the successful months of success the time has come to establish more local groups based in Federal electorates. We encourage you and anybody else who's interested to come along to group events.

The Strategy

In a political system such as ours silence is consent. We are all responsible in a representative democracy to make our concerns heard and acted on by our elected representatives. If you are interested in the re-introduction of universal health care, the extension of health services such as dental, hydrotherapy and others it is now time for you and your community to do something about it.

We believe that the most effective way to get the ears of our parliamentary representatives is to form a Defend and Extend Medicare Australia group in every federal electorate in the country, especially those which are marginal seats. The marginal seats are:

South Australia
Adelaide
Hindmash

New South Wales
Dobell
Parramatta
Paterson
Richmond
Eden – Monaro

Queensland
Herbert

Western Australia
Canning

Northern Territory
Solomon

Victoria
Deakin
Mc Ewan
Gippsland
Mc Millian
La Trobe
Dunkley
Corandamite
Aston
Casey
Flinders

It is essential that universal health care is one of the determining factors in how people vote during the upcoming Federal election.

By hosting local forums which invite local representatives of all political parties, medical professionals, volunteer organizations with a medical mission and the general public, three basic things are achieved. There is a swapping of information which is educational, there is forum where voters can ask sticky questions of the representatives and there is the possibility of media coverage of the event. By bringing the issue of universal health care to the forefront of the media you are assured the interest and action from your parliamentary representatives.

Establish a Defend and Extend Medicare Group in your local federal electorate!

Attend one of the community forums in another electorate and see if it inspires you to create a local group. Forums will be advertised by posters in local areas, in the local papers, on this website and on community radio stations.

Contact Julie Jones (03) 9766 8555 for further information or send an email to info@defendandextendmedicare.org or learn more on how to do it from the information on this website.