Justine, this is great! I have had success with local Labor Member Christian Zara who put out a letter to all constituents asking us to call him with issues of concern, etc. Well.... he did open the door! 90 minutes after we started our phone call he has invited me to meet with him to discuss such issues of national policy as: rural birthing using midwife and collaborative models of care (he was really stung when I told him the best example of this was NOT in his electorate), professional indemnity (favouring a national govt insurance scheme for all health professionals with a three-tiered review process that is truly multi-disciplinary and non-adversarial), care of all babies and families who sustain birth injury, not just those who successfully sue, increased numbers of staff specialists with incentives for private obs/GPs who can prove true collaborative models in practice, extra funding and assistance for rural midwifery education aimed at clinical experience support both in rural and metro centres (just like the med students get), equity between medical and nursing and midwifery in terms of support in education such as living away from home allowances, travel and meals, nationalisation of health so that we can enforce midwifery representation on M&M committees, as well as have a more direct reimbursement for midwifery services, more accurate measures of costing maternity services and perhaps a commitment to enforce some sort of reimbursement from private doctors who use midwifery services that are publicly paid for but which prop up their incomes!
Poor guy got an earful, but he spoke beautifully about women giving birth, midwives assisting, babies being born, etc rather than being delivered, midwives doing deliveries... he even knew very well the difference between midwife and nurse! I complimented him on this and he said he was surrounded by empowered women who didn't want intervention. When I told him that every hospital in his electorate had double the HWO recommended rate for LUSCS and instruments and were off the scale for other interventions, he seemed knocked out. So, his office has contacted me twice looking to set up a meeting so he can gather advice on all these issues. If you know your stuff, they will listen. Go for it! Ring them, especially if they open the door for you to do so. Ring their office and make a meeting! Bring paperwork with you, even if it's just a summary of the main points you want to talk about with some suggestions for finding further information. Trish Justine Caines <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Lobbying Update and Federal Election Campaign > > > Dear All > > Sorry I have not updated you all sooner. > > Last Tuesday I met with Deputy PM, Leader of the National Party and my local Federal > member, John Anderson. > > I was cheeky and did pre-emptive media and before we actually met I had done 6 radio > slots and he had done 2!! This was then followed up with 2 further slots on > Thursday (10 minutes each duration) on ABC Southern NSW and Nth West NSW. > > John was reasonably responsive and my entire pitch was based on rural issues (this > being his responsibility and interest). He without saying showed concern about > the procreation plans of families on welfare (I am in no way simplifying this > but there has been a buzz around my local area across shopping centres and amongst > those hanging around the courts etc. So I decided to use its currency to lead > in to the need for support etc for women and families and outline how one to one > midwifery would provide this. > > I also said that in rural areas midwifery had the capacity to also fill the gaps > with women’s health and early childhood (if midwives wanted to do the > additional training etc). > > He made a murmur at a $3,000 birth package being a fair bit more than the Medicare > Benefit Schedule (I don’t know how I didn’t leap out of the chair!) but > with figurative stock whip I lashed him with some fact. > > He asked how we would see it operating. I said either as tied grants to the states > to establish community midwifery programs or Medicare provider numbers and quickly > said I was terribly tired of hearing that extending Medicare to midwives had > implications for Dentists (although they are now using Dentists to a limited > capacity!!)and Chiropractors. I said Midwives provide the exact service that Obs do > (when birth is normal) and that the birth numbers would not necessarily change. I > know some are against Medicare provider numbers (with the argument that it limits > antenatal visits etc. But now that Abbott has given the green light for > Obs to package their care it may just be the way to go. > > > I left him saying I would follow up shortly and he promised to read NMAP as he was > being driven to his next appointment (his electorate is HUGE). > > I think we need to lobby the coalition pretty hard. If anyone has a national > party local federal member, please write to them (this is a task for those > supporters that aren’t able to do to much but are happy to write a letter or > 2) please write don’t e-mail and cc it to John Anderson: Address: 206 > Conadilly Street, Gunnedah NSW 2380 Fax: 02 6742 1840. > There is a sample letter on the website. > > The National Party have senators in each Victoria, NSW and QLD and as senators > represent the whole state anyone in that state can ask them to represent them. > Here are the details (but mention rural issues as important to spark their > interest) > > NSW: Sandy McDonald Senator for NSW > Address: 467 Peel Street, Tamworth NSW 2340 > Phone: 02 6766 6998 > Fax: 02 6766 4169 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Senator for Victoria Julian McGauran > > Address: Suite 17, Collins Place, 45 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 > Phone: 03 9650 3622 > Freecall: 1300 131 746 > Fax: 03 9650 3565 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Queensland Senator Ron Boswell > > Address: Level 36, Waterfront Place, 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 > Phone: 07 3001 8150 > Fax: 07 3001 8151 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Website: www.ronboswell.com > > Don’t let Tony Abbott or Mark Latham off the hook, as long as we get enough > letters they will have an impact. > > Yesterday the Northern Territory was the first to refuse independent midwives > registration in the private setting while without PI insurance. Both Victoria > and NSW can do the same, so another feature of your letters should address the fact > that such refusal to assist midwives is anti-competitive and now midwives are > probably the only profession to be dictated to where they must work. > > I have made representations to the Greens on national preferences and am chasing up > one of the 2 negotiators with the ALP re preferences. > > All in all I have been filling my days! > > I hope our members and supporters out there can enhance this hard work with a letter > or 2. Also write to your local paper or call talk back, keep the issue current > and out there. One way to do this is to link the amazing support that > midwifery could provide to women and families,making a real impact to their lives > (rather than a cash payment that probably went to the local retail giant). > > If you have other ideas and thoughts call me or contact a the state president of MC. > > The longer they leave the election the better it is for midwifery, we have more time > to lobby and demonstrate than women across Australia demand choice in maternity > care, particularly the choice of a known midwife that they are denied. > > In solidarity > > Justine > > Justine Caines > National President Maternity Coalition Inc > PO Box 105 > MERRIWA NSW 2329 > Ph: (02) 65482248 > Fax: (02)65482902 > Mob: 0408 210273 > E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Trish David FACM Senior Lecturer Midwifery and Nursing Monash University School of Nursing Gippsland Campus Northways Road Churchill 3842 (03) 5122 6839 0418 994033 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
