media releases

“The decision by the Government’s Department of Human Services to threaten an Australian who uses a variation on the Medicare logo to highlight concerns about the future of Medicare reveals a new low in the Coalition’s approach to Medicare”, said Dr Tim Woodruff, president, Doctors Reform Society. “This Australian citizen’s crime appears to be that he is using the Medicare logo in his efforts to inform the public about the Federal Government’s wish to destroy Medicare as we know it”.

“Meanwhile the Government itself is unapologetic about using the logo in its own election campaign.”

“What does the Government want to hide from the Australian public when it pursues policies to silence voices that disagree with those policies? Does it really want Australians to accept health policies which will take us to an expensive, inefficient, privatised, Americanised system? Why does it wish to suppress alternative voices?”

“We need debate. We need many voices expressing their concerns, their fears, their hopes, and we need to respond. Suppressing public voices will not lead to a more effective, efficient, and equitable health system”