Socialist Party Australia - Medicare campaign news July 2003

Jim O’Connor & Jordan Halkidis report on the Medicare campaign in Melbourne

Medicare fightback gathers momentum
By Jim O’Connor & Jordan Halkidis
Over 3,000 signatures on petitions calling for the defence and extension of Medicare have been collected by SP members in Melbourne in the past three weeks.
More than 4,000 leaflets advertising the Medicare rally have been distributed (see page 1).
SP is calling for a nationwide protest action on September 5th at 5.30pm, coinciding with the Melbourne rally and the resumption of the spring session of Parliament, where the Second and Third reading of the Howard cuts to Medicare will be tabled. Discussions are underway with groups in other states to have similar rallies at the same time thus making this a National Day of Action. We are calling on the trade union movement, the Greens, the Labor Party, and all community and progressive organisations to participate and lend their support.
The Defend and Extend Medicare Federation, of which SP is part of, now consists of grassroots action committees in eight Federal Victorian electoral seats. The aim is to form action committees in all 150 federal electorates Australia wide. So far, highly successful public meetings of local Federation affiliates have been held in the Melbourne suburbs of Brunswick, Preston and Nunawading.
A further public meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday August 14th at 7pm at 128 Holden St, North Fitzroy at the Holden St Neighborhood House (North Fitzroy forms part of the Melbourne federal electorate).
To contact the Defend and Extend Medicare Federation write to PO Box 5035, Alphington 3078.
Check out their web page at: www.defendmedicare.cjb.net