- Background
The Health Australia Party (HAP) was formed in 2015 to respond to the well funded, sustained and coordinated attacks on natural medicine in Australia which have placed our homeopathic profession at risk, as well as all natural therapists.
Homeopaths have felt the brunt of these attacks, beginning in the UK in 2005 and imported to Australia by sceptics groups, and since 2011 by the FOSM. Because of their influence on health bureaucrats and politicians, as well as on peak medical institutions, we have seen the NH&MRC concoct a conclusion in 2015 that homeopathy is ineffective, followed by a finding that 16 other modalities from naturopathy to massage are unproven, which was then used by the Natural Therapies Review Advisory Committee which suggested discontinuing Australian government rebates on natural therapies for private health insurance.
In 2016 the new Victorian Health Complaints Bill was passed allowing any individual or group to lodge a complaint against a practitioner, reversing the onus of proof thus requiring practitioners to substantiate their treatments which will be difficult due to the NH&MRC findings, meaning that all natural therapists are now at risk of malicious complaints by sceptics and FOSM members that could seriously compromise their businesses. This legislation is being rolled out to all States in various forms. Everyone is at risk.
- Response
Our profession needs committed representation at the highest political level, which is why the HAP is standing Senate candidates in NSW, Qld, Vic, and hopefully WA and SA in the 2016 election. We also intend running candidates in coming State elections, but for now there is a single goal – Senators in 2016.
The HAP website is www.healthaustraliaparty.com.au. You will see there a comprehensive set of policies built around the five pillars of the Party: healthy people, healthy economy, healthy environment, healthy democracy and healthy society. We are not a single issue Party, but the issue of protecting peoples’ rights to choose the methods of healthcare they want into the future is at the heart of the HAP.
The HAP believes that IF we can have one or more Senators elected on July 2nd it will be a game changer. We will have advocates able to speak directly to fellow politicians and expose the deceit and non-science that lies behind the attacks noted above.
- What You Can Do Now to Protect Your Future, and Patient Choice
We have a genuine chance of having Senators elected IF we can let people who use natural medicine know what is happening and the need to act, and give them a centre-based and ethical political Party to support in the Senate. You can make a difference by doing the following:
- Join the HAP as a Member or just as a Friend. This means we can keep you posted of what is happening in your State.
- Let your patients know about the HAP. We have posters and patient handouts on the Resources page our website which you can print out, or if you email inquiries@healthaustraliaparty.com.au and ask we will post materials to your clinic.
- If you are able, spread the word about the HAP in other ways – through social media groups, through colleagues at seminars, to your local health food store, etc etc. If you wish to volunteer on election-day please contact your State branch of the HAP. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, please do that via the website.
Your actions will make a difference. Help us to help you, the profession, and our patients. We must respond!
