To get homebirth publicly funded in Australia politicians must actually receive letters for your intentions to be enacted into law. Please cut and paste the attached letter template or print downloadable version, and and send to:
The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
AND
The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for the Status of Women and Minister for Housing
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
AND your local member. If you're not sure who that is you can look it up at www.aec.gov.au
If you have any questions please
contact Danni from HOMEBIRTH ACCESS SYDNEY at dannit@bigpond.net.au or on 02 9011 5708.
<insert your name and address>
The Hon Nicola Roxon
Minister for Health and Ageing
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600 <remember to change this address for each letter and to delete everything in italics!>
<insert the date>
Dear Minister <when writing to your local member, if they’re not a minister, substitute their name: Dear Mr/Ms Surname>
I am writing to you to ask you to provide Federal Government support to women who choose to give birth at home with the assistance of an independent midwife.
<Add a paragraph of personal information if you wish – why you support homebirth, your own experience and why you think this action is important.>
I am aware that support for expanding midwifery care was part of the ALP’s pre-election platform on Maternal and Child Health Services, in particular:
€ Reviewing the Medicare schedule to include midwives in the provision of maternity care and to facilitate the expansion of midwife-led care; and
€ Considering models of indemnification to facilitate the practice of midwives as experts and primary care givers in normal birth.
I look forward to the Rudd Labor Government implementing these policies as soon as possible as a way of providing better, safer birth choices for Australian mothers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises midwives as “the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of women in normal pregnancy and birth,” and the safety of planned homebirth is now well established in both Australian and international research.
Midwifery care is a preventative health measure which not only assists in keeping well women and their babies out of hospital beds but represents a significant cost saving to Government. A birth at home costs significantly less than even the most straight-forward hospital birth and women who birth at home are less likely to have interventions including assisted delivery and caesarean section, or distressed babies. Women’s and their partners’ satisfaction with birth is also increased and women are more likely to breastfeed. .
I also feel strongly that this is an issue of choice - supporting all women to choose the place and the practitioner that they feel most comfortable when giving birth.
I would really appreciate your support for this issue in the lead up to the May 2008 budget.
