Dear Leftlink, I would really appreciate it if you would circulate this posting about a national day of action in defence of Medicare and public health services. This will be held on World Health Day - Friday 7th April 2000. Information on this vitally important campaign can be found below. Thank you. Regards, Beth Mohle QNU Support Our National Day of Action in Defence of Medicare and Public Health Services Unions, community groups, health consumer representatives and health organisations concerned about the integrity and viability of our public health system need your help. We have commenced a campaign in defence of Medicare and public hospitals. The first major campaign activity will be a National Day of Action on World Health Day, Friday 7 April 2000. This campaign arose out of widespread concern about the under funding of Medicare and public health services and the current federal government health policy changes (especially those relating to incentives for private health insurance) that we believe serve to undermine our universal health system. The executives of the Australian Nursing Federation, Australian Council of Trade Unions and Queensland Council of Unions have all endorsed this campaign. Our postcard and petition campaign has been planned to coincide with the current Senate Inquiry into Public Hospital Funding. The petition is attached to this posting. Please distribute the petition as widely as possible - we are aiming for a million signatures for Medicare! (The return address on this petition is C/- the Queensland Council of Unions, but these can also be forwarded to the ACTU in Melbourne). The postcard that has been produced is being distributed by a number of unions nationally but the best point of contact in each state is you local nurses union (the Australian Nursing Federation, New South Wales Nurses' Association or Queensland Nurses' Union). Alternatively you can send an e-mail version of the postcard from the Queensland Nurses' Union website (http://www.qnu.org.au <http://www.qnu.org.au> ) Other campaign materials are also available from this site. Activities are planned across the country on World Health Day - just contact your local nurses' union for details. For example, in Brisbane we have booked a space in the Queen Street Mall for the day. Join with us to ensure that our universal health system is maintained and extended. We must do all that we can to ensure that a two-tiered US style health system is not entrenched in this country. Health services for all should be based on clinical need and not ability to pay. Send this message to the Howard government on World Health Day. Regards, Beth Mohle Project Officer - Queensland Nurses' Union -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
