CPA Medicare campaign continues
to get good response
by Janice Hamilton The new North Illawarra Branch of the CPA is actively campaigning to Save Medicare. In the last few weeks the branch has collected over 500 signatures on the "Save Medicare, Restore Bulk Billing" petition. Armed with the CPA's Save Medicare Booklet, branch members have held street stalls in areas where there has been a reduction in the bulk-billing of services and closure of doctors' surgeries. In the last 12 months Thirroul, a northern suburb of Wollongong, went from having six surgeries down to only two. Overall the response has been positive. So positive in fact that one woman brought her whole extended family back to sign the petition. She justified her actions to her family by highlighting a recent experience where she had taken her two children to the doctor with the flu. It cost the family over $80 because their GP had stopped bulk billing. Other people said that they signed the petition because of the withdrawal of doctors and leaving them with no choice but large Medical Centres where there is no quality personalised service. One man described his experience in one such centre, saying it was "like being pushed through the turnstiles at Central Railway Station during the Olympics". The Branch has also been actively involved in the Illawarra Save Medicare Action Group which is a coalition of trade unions, health professionals, Labor, Greens and CPA representatives. The group will be holding its first event to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Medicare's Birthday on the October 1 at 9.30am at the Wollongong City Council Level 10 Function Rooms followed by a protest rally at the offices of Joanna Gash (in Nowra) the Federal Liberal Member for Gilmore. Buses from the Council Chambers to Nowra are being provided for interested participants. To contact the North Illawarra Branch ring Janice on 02 4267 5244 or janhamilton34@hotmail.com Port Jackson Branch Port Jackson Branch of the CPA (Sydney) held a public meeting on Sunday September 7, at the Toxteth Hotel in Glebe. It was attended by about 20 locals who were addressed by Dr Con Costa, the National Vice President of the Doctors Reform Society. Dr Costa's talk and the discussion of the threat to Medicare was very much appreciated by all those who attended. The aim of the meeting was to increase public awareness of the threats to Medicare and build the campaign in support of Medicare, and bulk billing in particular. The Sydney District has collected over 3000 signatures so far on the Party's petition. More copies of the petition and campaign materials visit the CPA's website at http://www.cpa.org.au and then click onto "Save Medicare".