Urgent advice required

[Guest guest]

Dear Minister Plibersek,It is with grave concern that I noted this morning the following quote from yourself in the Business Spectator Newspaper:"Health Minister Plibersek said the incentive was no longer needed because from July parents will have to immunise their children in order to receive welfare payments."http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/GPs-and-Labor-at-odds-over-immunisation-U5BXZ?OpenDocument & src=hp7I represent the Australian Vaccination Network, Australia's national vaccine-safety and informed health-choice lobby group. On behalf of our membership which consists of thousands of Australian families, health practitioners and medical professionals in every State and Territory of Australia, we lobbied hard to help in drafting the Conscientious Objector clause which allows those who choose not to vaccinate or to vaccinate selectively to still receive all government payments regardless of their child's vaccination status.It is my will, on behalf of our organisation and the thousands of Australian families whose informed choice is not to vaccinate their children, that this issue be cleared up in writing today.Are there plans to scrap the Conscientious Objector clause, meaning that Australians who have made a legal decision not to vaccinate will now be financially penalised for that choice?If not, and if the Conscientious Objector clause still applies, you have been misquoted and this needs to be immediately addressed in all Australian media so that the families of Australia will be alerted to the fact that regardless of whether their children are vaccinated according to the Australian schedule, are partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all, they will not be penalised for making the choice they felt is in their family's best interest.In addition, the use of the term "welfare payments" in this interview might lead one to believe that ALL family payments will be at risk for families who don't vaccinate. If this is the case, then there must have been recent amendments to Federal legislation. If this is true, please advise me of the Act under which these payments have been taken away from Australian families. If it is not true, again, the families of Australian need to be alerted to this error in the quickest and most complete way possible.This is an open letter which will be sent to all AVN members, professional members and other interested parties in Australia.I await your prompt reply with great interest.Kind regards,Meryl Dorey

Meryl Dorey,SpokespersonThe Australian Vaccination Network, Inc.Investigate before you vaccinateEditor,Living Wisdom MagazineFamily, Health, EnvironmentPO Box 177BANGALOW NSW 2479AUSTRALIAhttp://www.avn.org.auhttp://www.living-wisdom.comPhone: 02 6687 1699 FAX 02 6687 2032skype: ivmmagFreedom is not merely the opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely the opportunity to choose between set alternatives. Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them -- and then, the opportunity to choose. - C. MillsThe authority of any governing institution must stop at its citizen's skin. - Gloria SteinemWe rely on the help and support of our members and subscribers to continue offering our services freely and without prejudice.Please consider helping us by joining the AVN as a member. Go to http://www.avn.org.au to become a member or donate to support our work.We also sell books, videos and DVDs on vaccination and other health issues. Go to http://shop.avn.org.au/ for more details.