Found on the OZADVOCACY list. Sue Egan is from the Physical Disability Council of Australia.
===== -----Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 11:54:57 +1000 From: Sue Egan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: looming black budget! Dear all Further to comments sent out over the last few days on cutbacks to programs and disability support pensions in the next Federal Budget, many people have contacted me through these lists and off lists stating their concerns about the looming budget and what it will possibly contain or rather take away from people who are already struggling to make ends meet and who want to live some kind of quality of life. This includes the negotiations that are taking place for CSDA, which will affect the services provided from States and Territories. We as a sector that will be hard hit, need to do something about this. So far the suggestions have been: 1.. Organise protests across Australia 2.. Send lots of letters to the Treasurer, Prime Minister,Opposition and politicians of all parties to let them know we are not happy with what is happening. Both of these suggestions are excellent ones, but I cannot do this alone so need help from you the readers and you the people that will also be affected. What are you prepared to do about it? This is our country too, we have rights to a decent life. We also vote and pay taxes every time we spend money, go to work, spend a day in the community, and we provide employment etc, so we have a large stake in this and should have a large say in where these funds do and don't go! After all we are constantly told how many there are of us (20% of the population or thereabouts these days) so why are there so few voices being heard? We could talk about the disimpowerment of people with disabilities, we could talk of the disenfranchisement of people who are reliant on support systems and people to live through a week. All of this is factual, but it changes nothing other than builds on the real needs of people with disability in our community, which we already know, so we would be preaching to the converted! What we really need to is to be noticed! To have a huge loud voice that says, we are not going to take this, we will not be put aside for the sake of dollars, we will not be ignored any longer. Our needs are as important as anyone else's! We make up 20% of the population of this country and therefore should have a considerable amount of power that comes with numbers (after all we are talking about numbers here aren't we $ or people!) Let me know what you want to do, I will help in every way possible as will Physical Disability Council of Australia. We want you to help and to suggest ways we can all confront and attack this, tell me what you can do personally, lets raise the profile the energy and the voices! I will add email contact addresses at the bottom of this message that you can start sending messages to stating your concerns etc. LET'S HEAR IT FROM THE PEOPLE! Using the words of a few of my friends and colleagues as an indication of the energy out there..... "People with a disability in Australia have a HUGE voice! You are correct in saying that we could have incredible power if only we all banded together!" and "Wouldn't it be terrific if all of the Australian disability movements responded to these upcoming challenges by banding together, ...and speaking with a united voice?" and "Count me in" and "It seems that we need a NATIONAL PROTEST, with lots of press coverage, to voice our dilemma, re these cuts etc. Maybe an organized peaceful sit-in, at each State Government Parliament House, in unison preferably, could be arranged. . If we don't do SOMETHING, we will lose the precious little we have now. We can't let the Government get away with this." Prime Minister John Howard email contact: http://www.pm.gov.au/your_feedback/feedback.htm Peter Costello Treasurer [EMAIL PROTECTED] I also have the email addresses for all MP's, Opposition and Senators and am happy to provide individual addresses if you want them or provide a list. Website for party offices: Liberal http://www.liberal.org.au/ Labor http://www.alp.org.au/ National http://www.nationalparty.org/ Democrats http://www.democrats.org.au/ Greens http://www.greens.org.au/ -- -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
