LL:DDV: National Conference: "From Rhetoric to Reality"

2003-11-27 Thread Shute, Carmel 
"FROM RHETORIC TO REALITY: MAKING HUMAN RIGHTS WORK"
RMIT UNIVERSITY, MELBOURNE, 9 + 10 FEBRUARY, 2004


from rhetoric to reality
Will provide an opportunity to engage with the practice of human rights
in our own communities. Over two days, service providers, educators,
advocates and service users will come together in workshops, facilitated
discussions and plenary sessions. The conference will build the capacity
of participants to make human rights work in their everyday practice.

plenary sessions
Inspiring speakers will provide an overview of human rights concepts and
mechanisms, including the United Nations Treaty System, human rights in
the Australian context, and human rights in the context of service
delivery.

keynote speakers
Include paul hunt, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to
Health; marcia rioux, Director of Disability Promotion Rights
International and Professor of Health Policy at York University, Canada;
krishanti dharmaraj, Executive Director of WILD for Human Rights, San
Francisco (to be confirmed); and jim ife, Chair of the Centre for Human
Rights Education at Curtin University of Technology.

organisational case studies
Will focus on the ways that community groups and governments have put
human rights into practice in their organisational development, funding
processes, policy advocacy and service delivery.

personal testimonies
Will highlight the ways that people in our community defend and promote
their human rights, making the link between international human rights
frameworks and domestic experiences.

small group workshops
Will provide all conference participants with the opportunity to develop
strategies to apply human rights to their own organisational
development, policy advocacy and service delivery work.

sponsored by
RMIT University Community Advocacy Unit, Victorian Department of Human
Services, VicHealth and the Human Rights Alliance of Australia.

further information
Early bird registrations close Monday 8 December.  Further details from
http://advocacy.tce.rmit.edu.au  .


  


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LL:INFO: Defendmedicare News review 27 November

2003-11-27 Thread [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
defendmedicare.info News
A review of the news on Medicare, bulk-billing and the Health Crisis.

** Medicare Plus does little to stop bulk billing decline

New Health Minister, Tony Abbott, outlined a revamped Medicare package
in a $2.4 billion Medicare Poll primer (The Age 19/11/03). While the AMA
leadership were supportive of the package most doctors saw good and bad
(ABC 19/11/03) or were sceptical once the penny dropped (SMH 20/11/03).
Health Economists were initially warm to the proposal with qualified
support (The Age 19/11/03).

It was not long before more considered assessments surfaced. Doctors
warned another overhaul would be needed soon (Courier Mail 20/11/03).
Geoff Pritchard, a former bulk-billing specialist surgeon at Tumut and a
Country Labor candidate for Farrer, accused that Only the rich can
afford to get sick (Albury Border Mail 20/11/03). Opposition spokeswoman
for family and community services, Jacinta Collins, said Medicare Plus
was a 'debt nightmare' (news.com.au 20/11/03). Northern Territory Health
Minister, Jane Aagaard, says the Federal Government's Medicare package
does nothing to help average Australians who are not on welfare. (ABC
24/11/03).

The Australian Council of Social Services president, Andrew McCallum,
went further in saying that low income singles miss out while
millionaire families gain (ACOSS 24/11/03). Francis Sullivan, CEO
Catholic Health Australia, said the Health System was Still Full Of
Flaws (Catholic News 19/11/03).

The Australian Consumers Association has labelled the package as
Medicare Minus. Health Policy Officer, Martyn Goddard said "you only
need safety nets when the system, when people are falling through nets
in the system. If you're bulk-billed, you don't need a safety net..."
(ABC 18/11/03).

Doctors Reform Society president, Tim Woodruff, outlined how the package
is inflationary: "What the doctors will then do is look at how much they
are paying, and know that after $500 output of co-payments from a
patient, if they charge them $100, $80 will come from the Government and
the patient will only be charged $20."(ABC 18/11/03). This analysis of
an inflationary affect on doctors fees was also stated by the Greens
(The Age 18/11/03)

The NSW Nurses Association have rejected the Medicare Plus package
(Bombala Times 26/11/03) saying that "John Howard will have achieved his
political goal of destroying Medicare as a universal, taxpayer-funded
health care system if the Federal Parliament agrees to key features of
his so-called MedicarePlus changes."

Mary Dagmar Davies outlines how the Howard Government operates with a
slow and determined stealth when it moves against the powerless and
unfortunate. (Canberra Times 26/11/03). Kenneth Davidson argues that The
people still support Medicare, even if the PM does not (The Age 27/11/03).

In a surprise move the Labor Party, Greens, Democrats and Independent
Senators chose to refer the package to another Senate Inquiry. (The Age
26/11/03)

** Bulk-billing continues decline

While criticism of the Medicare Plus package has continued, the release
of the Bulk-billing Statistics was overshadowed and lost in the media
coverage given to John Howard (ABC 18/11/03) and Tony Abbott (The Age
21/11/03) selling their package. Bulk billing continued the decline in
the September quarter (Defendmedicare.info 17/11/03). The bulk billing
rate reached a 14 year low (The Age 15/11/03).
http://www.defendmedicare.info/news/2003/11/17nov.htm

The New rebate is no incentive to bulk-bill according to the chairman of
the Border Division of General Practitioners, Dr Bill Walton (Albury
Border Mail 19/11/03). This was echoed by The Rural Doctors Association
of Queensland (ABC 19/11/03) and the The Illawarra Division of GPs (ABC
19/11/03). In Hobart the situation is moving from Bad to worse, say
Tassie critics (Hobart Mercury 19/11/03). The Democrats have stated that
the Package won't boost bulk-billing (The Age 18/11/03)

According to statistics, Patients paying more to visit GP in ACT
(Canberra Times 27/11/03), while a Tassie group fears for the poor
(Hobart Mercury 18/11/03).

** Private Health Insurance

In a little reported story Young people are fleeing private health
cover, according to research by the Australia Institute (The Age 23/11/03).

  "...the number of people aged between 35 and 39 with hospital cover
had fallen more than 13 per cent. Among those aged between 30 and 34,
the drop-off had been nine per cent. But among those aged between 55 and
59, there had been an increase of more than 18 per cent in people taking
private health care."

  "Mr Denniss said that in this year's September quarter, the number
of Australians with private health cover had fallen to 43.3 per cent
from 44.1 per cent."

The ACCC has found that private health funds may be breaching consumer
protection laws and misleading customers. (The Age 26/11/03)

  ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said the practices could breach the
Trade Practices Act and am

LL:DDV: MELB GAY & LESBIAN CHORUS & THE MELB RAINBOW BAND

2003-11-27 Thread Shute, Carmel 
MELBOURNE GAY & LESBIAN CHORUS &  THE MELBOURNE RAINBOW BAND Free 
concert 8pm Sat 13/12

The Melbourne Gay & Lesbian Chorus and the Melbourne Rainbow Band
proudly present

'Don We Now Our Gay Apparel'

A free "family" Christmas event.

Featuring the wonderful Linzi Kurlieff as MC.

8.00pm Saturday 13 December 2003
The Courtyard at Fresky's Bar & Lounge
169 Commercial Road
Prahran

Bring the whole "family" for a riotous Christmas sing-a-long!!!

Contact: Peter Chalk, Vice-President, Melbourne Gay & Lesbian Chorus
   0439 704 669

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LL:DDN: (JAO) EYE WITNESS REPORT FROM PALESTINE (Dec 11 @ UTS)

2003-11-27 Thread Nobby 
EYE WITNESS REPORT FROM PALESTINE

Jews Against the Occupation - Sydney  present a Jewish activist from the 
International Women's Peace Service in Palestine with an audio-visual 
presentation on the daily life of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

6.30 pm, Thursday, 11 December
@ UTS, Broadway, Tower Block, Room 1.04.06
ph 0414 876 641 or 0411 366 295

Supported by the Research Initiative on International Activism, UTS.


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