30 years of Universal Health Care - Medicare in Australia

Crusaders and Users of  Medicare  

It was a great gathering of the true believers of social democracy - the Australian Labor Party - had introduced Medibank thanks to Prime Minister Whitlam and his Minister Bill Hayden 1974.
As soon as the Liberal Fraser Government got in they axed it!
Today as the Tory(you can't call Tony Abbot's government Liberal) Ministers gathered to campaign for their candidate to win former Labor P.M. Kevin Rudd's seat of Griffith - two terrific Labor women were presenting the case for keeping Medicare free and accessible as we intended it to be.

Without good health it's difficult to participate in society. In fact, as I told those women with influence, if it wasn't for Medicare - I'd be dead!

 More precisely if it wasn't for bulk-billing Medicare providers my life would have ended under a tree, under the southern-cross, with plenty of pills to put an end to the pain of bi-polar depression.
Some voice in the background of my mind said, go and see your G.P.

Have you ever been to a clinic and they turned you away because you didn't have a Health care card or any money in your bag - caught in the grey shades of not fitting in - so are turned away - no room for a freebie consultation?

It's hard for people to understand who are comfortably off, with discretionary income in their pocket that there might be someone like me who appears well enough may need Help - Now and Free - without Barriers.

I survived the depressive episode thanks to our local GP who shows he is a Great believer in social democratic policies like Medicare - bulk-billed. I told this to Catherine King, Minister for Health(shadow) who I had met previously when acting for the Mental Health Minister in the Gillard government took my submission about Mental Health and work-force participation.

The Abbott and Newman Government's show they don't care who can't afford health services. They don't even want us to talk about it. They are Thatcherites. Say the sanctity of life is sacrosanct and will pull the rug and leave it ragged for the many (U.S.style)....The worst of ideologies hovers over us Australians under Abbott and Newman LNP Governments.

 

                                          My family believes in well funded Universal Health Care



I am not Alone - I believe in the Collective(s).

Terri Butler - a Labor woman - Mother/Industrial Lawyer,

Australian Republican and Medicare Defender.

Happy Chinese New Year and Lots of Good Luck! 

Delighted to meet and greet Australia's best Political Journalist - Michelle Grattan.

30 years of reading her articles at the Melbourne Age, and The Conversation plus motivating me out of bed in the morning to tune in to ABC Radio National Breakfast journalist, Fran Kelly and Michelle Grattan talking Political issues. Not to be missed ! 

30 years Married  - Everything has to do with what your families Health needs  : Two daughters births, a miscarriage, an abortion, appendix emergency, parent's deaths, ulcers, arthritis, infections, asthma, major depression, infections, viruses, Bi-polar mood affective disorder, Crohn's disease...........

Semi-rural Queensland 2014

Inner - Melbourne 1984

THANKYOU