…I received this email today…
“I’ve committed a terrible crime, I don’t agree with government policy.”
Dear Tom – meet Mark Rogers.
Mark is a 66-year-old grandfather – and he’s being targeted with government legal threats.
His “crime”? Use of the word ‘Medicare’ on his small, community-run Save Medicare website, where he collects reporting and analysis on Medicare. It’s a hobby project that he fits around babysitting the grandkids.1
That’s why Grandpa Mark, who lives off his superannuation, was taken aback to receive a letter threatening ‘damages and costs’ if he didn’t shut down his website within 48 hours.
This is a true David vs Goliath story – a vindictive government, enraged after a poor election performance, using the enormous legal resources at their disposal to intimidate everyday Australians into silence.
Grandpa Mark’s story is breaking across the news media right now2 – but in order to shine a light on their bullying behaviour, we need to help make it huge. A massive petition calling them out will force a back down – and prove that attempts to silence community voices on Medicare will only make them louder.
Click here https://www.getup.org.au/david-v-goliath to call on the Turnbull Government to stop bullying Mark Rogers.
This is a new low for a government who is earning quite the reputation for strong-arming its critics – from Gillian Triggs of the Human Rights Commission to Solicitor General Justin Gleeson.3,4
But Mark believes the public have the right to know the truth on Medicare, which is why he’s refusing to take his website down.
He’s been working hard since 2014 to get the word out on the impacts of the Turnbull government’s freeze to the Medicare rebate, $650 million in cuts to pathology and radiology rebates, and the controversial decision to set up a taskforce to privatise Medicare’s billing system.
With government lawyers breathing down Mark’s neck, he needs a huge wave of people power to swoop in behind him – so that he can stand strong against the government’s legal threats.
Will you speak up? Add your name to the petition: https://www.getup.org.au/david-v-goliath
A government trying to silence legitimate political dissent on a major policy issue? Not on our watch.
Nat, Django, Ruby and Daney, for the GetUp team
References
[1] savemedicare.org, administered by Mark Rogers
[2] Turnbull government threatens to sue grandfather over ‘save Medicare’ website, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 November 2016
[3] Gillian Triggs’ contract with the Human Rights Commission won’t be renewed: Malcolm Turnbull, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 November 2016
[4] Solicitor general Justin Gleeson resigns over ‘broken’ relationship with George Brandis, The Guardian, 24 October 2016
Toms Blog on Life and Livingness