Press Release 21 September 1996
WEL Tasmania supports the AMA in cautioning the Federal Government against any underhanded political manoeuvring in their attempts to force through the partial sale of Telstra.
We share the AMA's concerns regarding the motivation of Senator Harradine in this matter, based on his actions in 1978 (the Lusher bill), 1980 (the Human Rights Commission Bill), 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992 (originally Harradine's Bill, taken up by Webster), his chairmanship of the Parliamentary 'Pro-Life' Group and his opposition to the Tasmanian Women's Health Foundation abortion clinic, established in 1991.
We urge the Senator to remember that he was elected by Tasmanian women and men, and not by the Vatican, to represent their interests at Commonwealth level. Tasmania is not a theocratic State.
These interests were clearly expressed at the recent Tasmanian Women's Health Forum, held in Launceston this year, under the auspices of Zonta International, the National Council of Women, Soroptimists, the Australian Federation of University Women, the Women's Health Issues Committee, the Tasmanian Women's Health Network and the Northern Tasmanian Women's Health Co-ordinator.
Resolutions at that Forum called for the Federal and State Governments to reaffirm their commitment to the National Women's Health Policy and maintain and further develop Tasmanian services and activities established under the National Women's Health Programme. Family Planning services are central to that development.
Similarly, the Forum called for State and Federal Ministers to urgently act upon increasing access to information, counselling and abortion services in Tasmania, with particular reference to the North and North-West regions. The Forum also strongly recommended that abortion be removed from all State and Territory Criminal Codes.
This Tasmanian expression must be set against a background of widespread Australian support for abortion services. The majority (approximately 75 per cent) of Australians support abortion in some circumstances (COA, 1994) and, when speaking to international bodies such as the UN, the Commonwealth of Australia has defined abortion as lawful when 'performed by a medical practitioner who believes that the operation is necessary to preserve the woman from serious danger to her life or health, including mental health'. (COA, 1994)
Tasmanian women are already disadvantaged with regard to women's health services. In 1994, 40% of Tasmanian women seeking abortion were still having to travel to mainland Australia (Ryan, Ripper and Buttfield, 1994) with all the extra expense and undue strain that implies.
Medicare is a universal health care system. Withdrawing abortion, family planning services and other reproductive health items would act to penalise the poor, not the rich.
Senator Harradine has a record of ignoring the needs of the ordinary Australian woman on this issue. Abortion is not a minority concern but a fact of life. No woman gets pregnant in order to have an abortion, and even contraceptives are not 100% effective. It would be the worst form of political opportunism to play the game of political number crunching when it is real women that will be hurt. No deals over the blood of women!
Abortion: WEL holds to the principle that every woman has the right to choose when and if she will bear a child and that all reference to abortion be removed from the criminal codes of the States and Territories of Australia, thereby ensuring that abortion be regulated, as are all other medial services, under health care legislation. Support services should be available to all women, those seeking abortion and those wishing to continue pregnancies.
Health: WEL affirms the World Health Organisation definition that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. To meet this definition of health for women, all health services should be reviewed to ensure they accept the social model of health, that health care, contraceptive care and any other service must be available to all regardless of their ability to pay. Specific woman-run health service must be available and broad principles of gender issue in delivery, priorities, research and services must be intrinsic to the entire health care system.
Telecommunications: WEL considers a national low-cost socially driven communication system must continue to be a priority for governments. The geographic distances in Australia and the importance of communication for community and social needs requires a different approach to the current market driven system, with limited community services obligations. Therefore WEL would oppose the privatisation in full or part of TELSTRA as we are not satisfied that the public interest is served by this.
Commonwealth of Australia. 1994. Australia: National Report on Population for the United Nations Conference on Population and Development, Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
Ryan, L., M. Ripper and B. Buttfield. 1994. We Decide: Women's experience of Seeking Abortion in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania 1985-1992: Report to the Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, Bedford Park, South Australia: Women's Studies Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Flinders University.
Prepared by Elizabeth Shannon, Convener of the Reproductive Rights Portfolio Group (Tas)
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Page created 23 September 1996; last updated 29 November 1998