NSW Parliament 135 – Meryl Dorey 0

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

The game’s almost up. Both Houses of the NSW Parliament are unanimous in their denunciation of Meryl Dorey and her deceptively named anti-vaccination organisation, the Australian Vaccination Network.

This is Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts speaking in the Lower House, yesterday:

_____________________________________

The Minister was speaking in relation to the name change which has been ordered on the AVN. That’s one part of the AVN’s parliamentary troubles.

Here is the second part. The day before, in the Upper House, the Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 passed. It will be sent back to the Lower House for amendments, then, sent off for Royal Assent, to become law, which will be enacted 28 days after the Governor’s signature. You will remember that Meryl Dorey, herself, had ensured that all dubious health practitioners will now be held to greater scrutiny, due to her magnificent health freedom work. I think we all owe Dorey a debt of gratitude. Three cheers for Meryl.

What was particularly cockle-warming was the outpouring of contained rage against deceitful anti-vaccinationists. The feelings towards them are clear. The AVN and its honchos are rightfully perceived to be a threat to public health, and now it’s all on Hansard. Take extra note of comments from members who have received communications from AVN supporters, and the deserved derision they receive. There is so much to include, it makes me sad to leave so much out…

The Hon. CATHERINE CUSACK:

This addresses a disappointing situation concerning an organisation known as the Australian Vaccination Network, which is a Bangalow-based organisation that is opposed to childhood immunisation that has successfully undermined many parents’ confidence in the benefits of immunisation. The Australian Vaccination Network’s former director and founder, Meryl Dorey, has undertaken extensive media interviews across Australia using free national media, radio and print to promote her claims that vaccines are toxic and harmful to children…

Ms Dorey insists that highly infectious childhood illnesses such as measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox are benign. There are many good reasons to spare our children the illness and scarring that can result from these diseases…

The Australian Vaccination Network’s campaign has been rampant in my community of Northern Rivers, and childhood immunisation rates have fallen below 70 per cent compared with 90 per cent for the rest of Australia. In the Byron shire, which is home to the community of Bangalow, the rate has fallen below 50 per cent…

In 2009 tragedy struck in my community of Lennox Head when four-week old Dana Elizabeth McCaffery died of whooping cough. By all accounts, this newborn baby fought bravely, but in the words of my local paper, the Northern Star, she never had a chance…

Following Dana’s death responsible and qualified members of the medical and scientific communities formed an organisation called “Stop the AVN”…

I have pursued the problem of the Australian Vaccination Network as a member of the Joint Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission, and I know that others have also pursued the issue. I am surprised that the commission and NSW Health have not acted more promptly to make these amendments, although I am delighted to see them before the House today. They will close the loopholes that allowed the Australian Vaccination Network to continue issuing its misleading and deceptive information. Countering the dissemination of dangerous information by any non-health care provider is the highest priority…

I call on the Health Care Complaints Commission immediately to stop the Australian Vaccination Network spreading misleading information and I ask the media as a whole not to facilitate the dissemination of such dangerous messages to vulnerable parents who are already bombarded with confusing information and who somehow believe that the network’s role in the immunisation debate is evenly balanced. It is not.

_________________________________________

The Hon. TREVOR KHAN:

I note that at least in part the amendments to the Health Care Complaints Act 1993 arose out of a Health Care Complaints Commission investigation into the Australian Vaccination Network in 2009 and 2010. I am sure a number of members of this place, indeed I suspect all, have received various emails from persons who seek to advance the interests of the Australian Vaccination Network.

The Hon. Dr Peter Phelps:

Boo!

The Hon. TREVOR KHAN:

I note the contribution of the Government Whip. The Australian Vaccination Network publishes a website that could be described as highly sceptical, indeed far more than that.

The Hon. Dr Peter Phelps:

I think “insane” is the word you are looking for. 

The Hon. TREVOR KHAN:

One could say it is dismissive of the benefits of vaccination. Two separate complaints were made that alleged the Australian Vaccination Network engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct in attempting to persuade people not to vaccinate their children. We know that this is not a mere esoteric exercise and that the complainants had grounds upon which to found their complaints…

Returning to the issue of the complaints, following the investigation the Health Care Complaints Commission recommended that the Australian Vaccination Network—a true tautology one might say, or a truly misleading description of what they are engaged in—recommended that the network publish a disclaimer on its website…

Let us be plain about this: we know that they disseminated material into the community that discourages parents from vaccinating their children. Indeed, we know from what has occurred with the drop in levels of immunisation amongst children, particularly in areas such as the North Coast, that they were in a sense so profoundly disreputable that they were prepared to say that they did not affect an individual client…

This is not a mere technicality; it is not a mere matter of definition; it is not a mere matter of people’s lifestyle choices. We are talking about the lives of our children.

Dr John Kaye:

And other people’s children.

The Hon. TREVOR KHAN:

Indeed. I note Dr John Kaye’s comment, “And other people’s children”. We collectively have an obligation to our society to ensure that all of us are healthy and all our children have a chance to grow up strong and capable of contributing to our society…

Anti-immunisation groups, such as the Australian Vaccination Network, have touted unscientific propaganda such as the discredited link between the measles vaccine and autism. The name of the Australian Vaccination Network is profoundly misleading; it implies that it supports immunisation.

…the Commissioner for Fair Trading, at the encouragement of the Minister, has issued a direction under the Associations Incorporation Act for the Australian Vaccination Network to change its unacceptable, misleading and deceptive name. Parents have a right to know the benefits and risk of immunisation…

Among the many speeches that were made in the other place, the speech made by the member for Cessnock, Mr Clayton Barr, led to emails being sent to many of us by members of the community in which they criticised him for his vocal criticism of the Australian Vaccination Network. I congratulate him on his words and on assisting in the protection of our children in New South Wales…

I congratulate him on having the guts to stand up against an organisation such as the Australian Vaccination Network. I invite members of the community to send emails about my speech. I will happily receive them and respond accordingly.

Dr JOHN KAYE:

Much of this came about as a result of a paper produced by Dr Andrew Wakefield, a British researcher, who had an article published in the Lancet in 1988 in which he suggested that there were links between vaccination and autism…

Yes, he was dead wrong. As a result of that notorious paper, measles, mumps and rubella vaccination in United Kingdom plummeted to less than 80 per cent, and that triggered measles outbreaks, including some substantial outbreaks that affected many people and that had a substantial public impact. In 2010—12 years later—the General Medical Council declared Wakefield’s research fraudulent and unethical. It was fraudulent because it was misleading and unethical because it caused children to be subjected to a number of unnecessary and unapproved procedures such as colonoscopies…

I do not wish to vilify any particular parent but I do seek to raise serious alarm, as others have, about the behaviour of the Australian Vaccination Network and those who promote the non-science and nonsense of the risks of vaccination. It is all very well to be trendy and to adopt issues that are published on the web but we are serious. This is about the lives of children. Kids die from whooping cough. I do not know if members have seen a child under the age of three years suffering from whooping cough. It is terrible and something that no child should experience. We should be eradicating whooping cough by ensuring we have a vaccination rate of about 95 per cent. I believe that people such as Meryl Dorey from Australian Vaccination Network are behaving in an entirely immoral way.

The Hon. Trevor Khan:

You will be getting emails now too, John.

Dr JOHN KAYE:

I have had plenty of emails, believe me. My Facebook site became a battleground between rationality and irrationality.

The Hon. Trevor Khan:

Good on you.

Dr JOHN KAYE:

Yes. I urge people like Meryl Dorey to stop this campaign that is leading to the death of or permanent impairment of children. Meryl Dorey’s campaign is immoral and she ought to stop that happening. She should drop this campaign and understand the damage that she is inflicting on other children. The Hon. Paul Green likened this issue to smoking in public.

The Hon. Dr PETER PHELPS:

Up until a short while ago if one went into a reasonable bookstore around Australia one could have bought an anti-vaccination book aimed specifically at children called Melanie’s Marvellous Measles. That book claimed, despite evidence that measles can kill and cause brain damage, that it is “a good thing” to have measles. On the cover of the book Melanie is happily playing in the garden and showing off a rash on her belly. In the story she is at home with measles and her friend Tina is worried but her mother reassures her, “Firstly, Tina, measles do not run and catch or hurt you; for most children it is a good thing to get measles. Many wise people believe measles make the body stronger and more mature for the future.” Tina then asked if she can go and catch measles form Melanie. Her mother responds, “That sounds like a great idea” and suggests some carrot juice and melon might help Melanie recover.

Dr John Kaye said that he did not seek to vilify anyone; I am not going to be so nice. If someone was to give or read that book to their child they would be a bad parent. They would not be merely stupid; they would be putting their child at risk…

If people want to educate themselves about vaccination they should not be reading Melanie’s Marvellous Measles. Instead, I would encourage them to go to the internet and Google “Penn and Teller vaccination”. Penn and Teller—two of my favourite libertarian speakers, magicians, comedians—present a wonderful debunking of the whole antivaxxers doctrine, and in those three or four minutes they present a more powerful account of why the antivaxxers are not only bad but they are mad.

The Hon. HELEN WESTWOOD:

 I am gravely concerned when organisations misrepresent the facts, and the role and intent of their organisation. That could lead to parents—or for that matter any person looking for accurate, evidence-based material or information that relates to their health or the health of their child—believing that the organisation has information and can fulfil that role based on science and peer-reviewed research. When an organisation represents itself as being able to provide information, that is not only reprehensible but it should be a crime because the consequences for our public health are serious. In addition, not only are the consequences for public health serious, the consequences for children are dire. Children die; infants die from whooping cough. They also die from other childhood diseases, the dangers of which we do not understand because of vaccination. Honestly, people do not believe the serious consequences of childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, chicken pox and whooping cough.

It is in the interests of the whole community that we urge all parents to vaccinate their children against these diseases. Like many other people, I vaccinate my children. I am a great advocate for vaccination. I simply do not accept the arguments against vaccination. They simply do not hold up to any evidence, research or inquiry. They have made such a difference to public health in this community. As many members know, I have an adult daughter who is deaf. Because of my involvement with the deaf community I know a number of children who are deaf as a consequence of measles. People do not realise that.

Childhood diseases cause serious disabilities in children, which they then have to live with for the rest of their lives. They affect the quality of their lives and their family. That is the sort of information about vaccination that parents need. They do not need lies, they do not need misinformation and they do not need organisations such as the Australian Vaccination Network putting themselves forward as advocates for vaccination, as informants of scientific evidence based information that has been tested and peer reviewed. They do not have that information, but they put themselves forward to parents as the providers of that information, and that is a reprehensible lie that has serious consequences for the community, for the public and for children.

No-one should have to lose a child through a disease that is easily prevented by vaccination. Most of us here are parents, but even those who are not would believe that there is nothing worse than losing a child. I could not imagine having my baby and losing her at four weeks or six weeks of age to whooping cough.

We must do all that we can to give parents accurate information and let them know that vaccinations are safe. We accept that there are risks, but the risks need to be put into perspective. The risks are miniscule compared to the risks of not vaccinating. I think that is a really important message that all of the community must hear. My greatest concern is that we have organisations such as the one that calls itself the Australian Vaccination Network, and we know that that is an absolute misrepresentation of who and what they are.

The Hon. Trevor Khan:

A lie.

The Hon. HELEN WESTWOOD:

Yes, it is a lie.

The Hon. Sophie Cotsis:

They are anti.

The Hon. HELEN WESTWOOD:

They are the anti-vaccination network. They are anti-vaccination and that has serious public health consequences. In addition, it actually risks the lives of children—infants—and we must all do everything we can to prevent that from happening. No parent should lose a little one because they have not been vaccinated, because it is so readily available in our community and it really can make a difference to children’s lives. That is the main point I wanted to make. So many other parts of this bill are clearly worthy of our support, but for me this is the most important aspect of it. The Government, to its credit, has addressed the issue of the Australian Vaccination Network having the capacity to use a name that misrepresents who they are, and I think that is a really important action that the Government has taken. I commend it for that as well…

I acknowledge the Hon. Trevor Khan’s interjection. I believe there will be bipartisan support for this—in fact, I think there will be multi-partisan support. I think all of us here are community leaders and we know what is in the interests of the community. We do not want to see little children die from childhood diseases that are so easily prevented because of the wonders of medical science that are available to us in developed, wealthy countries such as Australia in 2013. I commend the bill to the House.

The Hon. CHARLIE LYNN:

It is good to be able to stand here and listen to the cross-party condemnation of the Australian Vaccination Network and the support for the bill. The Australian Vaccination Network website presents a highly sceptical view of vaccination, which could be interpreted as an anti-vaccination message, which it is. But at first glance its name would imply the exact opposite.

The Hon. MELINDA PAVEY:

I thank honourable members for their support for the bill. I genuinely appreciate the comments and the passion that I witnessed in the Chamber this evening. The Legislative Council is a good place to be tonight and I thank all members for their contributions and the passion with which they were delivered.

______________________________

Bill read a third time and returned to the Legislative Assembly with a message requesting its concurrence in the amendments.

_______________________________

I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to the NSW Parliament. Due to the lobbying from a bunch of very determined people members were able to act, and fix a loophole which poses a threat to public health. Generations to come will be better off for the work of this Parliament, yet hardly any community members will know of the importance of these amendments. Such is life. That’s okay. We know.

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, Health Care Complaints Commission, meryl dorey, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Judy Wilyman finally comes out from under the anti-vaccine rock

Posted on May 4, 2013 by

Look. I have a man-cold. For all you men out there, you know how much I am suffering at the moment. But, some things cannot pass.

This morning I received a group email from Judy Wilyman, in which she has finally come clean about her anti-vaccinationist belief system. Anti-vaccinationists rarely admit that they are anti-vaccine; so, most of the time, you need to rely on the constant arguments they use to argue against vaccination. So, think of it as, “I’m not anti-vaccine, but, I rely predominantly on anti-vaccine arguments, although I’m not anti-vaccine, and I just argue against vaccines”.  They know anti-vaccinationism is both scientifically and ethically anathema to reason and public health, so, they deny their true selves. Sometimes I feel sorry for them. Denying your denialism cannot be good for the soul.

Wilyman starts out her email with an anti-vaccine favourite: the toxins gambit:

Hi All,

Re  Vaccine Ingredients:
Aluminium hydroxide, Aluminium  hydroxide/phosphate, Aluminium phosphate, Borax, Egg Protein, Formaldehyde,  Gelatin, Gentamicin (antibiotic), Kanamycin (antibiotic), Monosodium Glutamate  (MSG), Neomycin (Antibiotic), Phenol, Phenoxyethanol, Polymyxin (antibiotic),  Thiomersal (mercury compound), Yeast  (current up to March 2013)

If you are thinking that this list of ingredients sounds very scary, you would be right. This is always the intent of anti-vaccinationists when practising the toxins gambit. They want to scare parents. What anti-vaccinationists always fail to explain are the minute quantities contained in a vaccine, why they are there, and the fact that these toxins and poisons are not toxic or poisonous at the levels contained in a vaccine. Anti-vaccinationists know this. They just don’t care. It doesn’t fit their narrative to explain nuances which debunk their own arguments. Dr David Gorski’s post, here, provides a thorough debunking of this argument; an argument of which Wilyman should feel ashamed to have used.

Wilyman continues:

Currently the government, doctors and the media are informing the community that  if you inject the above ingredients into the tissues of developing infants you  will improve the health of your children.

Bollocks. This is an inept Strawman argument. Vaccines are not provided to “improve the health of your children”. Vaccines are provided as a preventative measure to give a child a higher chance of avoiding contracting a vaccine preventable disease.

Wilyman continues to make three central points to back her argument:

1. Vaccines have reduced the deaths and illness from infectious  diseases.

Not True:  Vaccines did not reduce the deaths and illness from  infectious diseases and many vaccines have been added to the schedule without a  proper debate of the risks and benefits. Therefore, it is also untrue that  deaths to infectious diseases will return in developed countries if people do  not vaccinate. You will notice that these diseases are still prevalent in  developing countries – even though they have had vaccination programs for decades.

This is known as the vaccines didn’t save us gambit. This gambit is patently false, and dishonest, as explained in this post on Respectful Insolence. Although the common tactic used by anti-vaccinationists is to use mortality rates to prove vaccines have had no effect on disease incidence (they have), it is a rare and untrustworthy anti-vaccine campaigner who will claim that vaccines have had no effect on both mortality and morbidity.

Of special note is what is happening right now, in Wales. MMR immunisation rates dropped due to Andrew Wakefield’s fraudulent research, and there is now a huge outbreak, spreading beyond Wales, which is a direct consequence of the low MMR immunisation uptake a decade ago. Preliminary data is now coming in showing that the MMR vaccine has a spectacularly high success rate in preventing Measles infection:

MMR vaccine effectiveness

Data on confirmed measles cases and their immunisation history continues to be actively collected during the outbreak. The validity of the data will not be finally confirmed and published until after the outbreak is over, therefore the following statement is a preliminary and may be revised.

Current data (to 26 April 2013) from the outbreak shows very few confirmed cases have caught measles after having had the MMR vaccine.  The vast majority of confirmed measles cases are individuals who have never been vaccinated with MMR.

Less than 10 laboratory confirmed cases are reported to have previously received any MMR vaccination.  [out of 1039 cases]

This emerging data suggests that in the outbreak area one dose of MMR vaccine protects against measles in more than 95 out of every 100 vaccinated, and two doses protects in around 99 out of every 100 vaccinated.

Anti-vaccinationists have been noticeably quiet about the Measles outbreak. This is why.

That Wilyman invokes immunisation programs in developing countries as proof of her claims is quite startling and telling. There are many reasons, both logistical and ideological, why it is difficult to implement successful immunisation programs in developing countries. Wilyman would prefer to leave out the nuance, again, and stick the anti-vaccine line. It doesn’t matter that, according to the WHO, “Measles vaccination resulted in a 71% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2011 worldwide.” Anti-vaccinationists just don’t care.

Wilyman’s second point:

2. ‘Vaccination’ is ‘immunisation’.

Not True: The government is misusing these words on its website. Vaccination is the act of getting a vaccine – not all recipients receive immunity after a vaccine therefore doctors and the government should always be referring to ‘vaccination’ not ‘immunisation’.  Immunisation implies that immunity has been achieved and this is not proven.  Some vaccinated people still get the diseases they are vaccinated against so the  government has a ‘vaccination policy’ not an ‘immunisation policy’ – this is  being misrepresented to the public.

Apart from playing a silly semantic game, Wilyman is relying on yet another logical fallacy called the Nirvana fallacy. This is also known as the Fallacy of the Perfect World, and more recently, The Doreyan Fallacy. Anyone who uses this argument needs to feel shame: but, they don’t. Basically, this immature argument states that if something is not 100% safe – even if it 99% safe – then, it is deemed to be 100% unsafe. And the same is argued with effectiveness: if it isn’t 100% effective – even if it is 99% effective – then, is has zero effectiveness. I know. It’s embarrassing that anyone could run those lines; but, they do, and they do it after being corrected with evidence. Vaccines induce immunity. Some do it better than others (just like the MMR, above). But, to claim that vaccines do not induce immunity is a lie. You can only forgive wilful ignorance so many times before it needs to be called a lie.

Wilyman’s third point:

3. Vaccines do not cause autism

Not True: The government’s schedule of  vaccines has never been tested for safety against unvaccinated children (or animals and hence the policy is unethical in children) therefore it has not been proven that vaccines do not cause autism. The current scientific evidence  suggests it is the most likely cause of autism.

Apart from using another logical fallacy, called the Argument from Ignorance, Wilyman is making a bold claim which has been debunked Ad nauseam (another logical fallacy), relying on another logical fallacy, the Proof by Assertion. Basically, anti-vaccinationists put forward this argument, incessantly, often unreferenced (as Wilyman has done), and using citations which do not back up their claims. We already know the citations they will use: they have been addressed here. In stark contrast to the claims of anti-vaccinationists like Wilyman, here is a list of 41 reputable studies showing that vaccines are not linked to autism. Seriously, put down the vaccine/autism zombie. Bad dog.

Wilyman continues with some health freedom verbiage. I won’t bore you with it. You can read it for yourself. All I will add is that immunisation is required in some workplaces (such as health), and I wholeheartedly support this. This has nothing to do with “discrimination”. Health workers who shun immunisations should be more discriminatory about which profession is right for them. Health ain’t one of them.

One has to wonder how Wilyman has ever gotten as far as she has, with so little. She likes to make hay of her credentials, yet never shows us anything intellectually as to why she should hold those credentials:

Kind regards,
Judy Wilyman
PhD Candidate

She used to sign off as “PhD Researcher”, which wrongly implied that she was already a successful PhD candidate. As you can see, she still signs off as “PhD Candidate”, yet, attempts to distance herself from the University of Wollongong, but not really. Here is a screenshot from Wilyman’s website, noting that her activism is directly linked to her academic work:

Wilyman website set up for PhD

The University of Wollongong to this day defends Wilyman’s work, noting that her activism is not related to her candidature. Given the topic of her thesis, and her own admission on her website, I find that hard to believe.

Wilyman thesis topic vaccination

Maybe the University of Wollongong can offer Wilyman a place in the Physics Department. I’ve already made up a cover sheet, based on her work today.

Noddy car crash

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, meryl dorey, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Queensland anti-vaccine science teacher to teach students about immunisation?

Posted on April 19, 2013 by

Overnight an anti-vaccinationist exploded on the Facebook page of NSW Greens MLC John Kaye. Mr Kaye has been strident in his opposition to the anti-vaccine movement, and the danger they pose to our children. And, it is wholly welcome that a member of parliament is taking a strong stand:

The NSW State government has taken action against one of the most disgraceful sources of misinformation, the Australian Vaccination Network.

However there are still far too many parents falling prey to absurd and disproven voodoo claims and conspiracy theories.

Anti-vaccination campaigner, Anna Stancombe, a page administrator of the embarrassingly inept and censorious anti-vaccination Facebook page, Vaccination Education Australia, decided enough was enough. Calling the troops from VEA page, she took her rage to Mr Kaye’s page:

This rant is mostly a copypaste from her VEA rant

This rant is mostly a copypaste from her VEA rant

Stancombe is no stranger to the anti-vaccination debate. On November 30 2012, she appeared in the Moreton Bay Quest. The article  covered the Science of Immunisation booklet, released by the Australian Academy of Science. The newspaper interviewed two anti-vaccination campaigners, one of whom stated proudly of her negative effect on the community’s immunisation uptake, “I talk big and loud.” Well done. Well done.

Stancombe even lent her face to the article:

[edit April 20 2013: it appears this story and photo originally appeared in the Caboolture Herald, thus attribution to them]

___________________________________________

dmca stancombe photo removed

Edit April 24 1013: to view the publicly available, full-size image of Anna-Marie Stancombe, click

               HERE

_______________________________________

As many people follow Mr Kaye’s Facebook page, Stancombe’s ranting post was noticed. And, seeing the hypocrisy that Stancombe was posting there, others took her to task, given her paucity of evidence and adherence to the banhammer on her own page. Stancombe reacted as we would expect from a cornered rat: she furiously blocked people; called people stalkers, nutjobs and psychopaths; equated a commenter with the Westboro Baptist Church (no one can work out why); invoked her credentials; and, reported people when they called her out on her previous callousness of spreading anti-vaccination influenza misinformation on a memorial thread for a woman who died from influenza. Seriously, that sort of behaviour is usually reserved for the likes of Erwin Alber.

Anti-vaccinationists are cowards and hypocrites.

Anti-vaccinationists are cowards and hypocrites.

She never did respond to my request to provide some of her immunisation information. She just reported the comment. Seriously. She really did that.

Here is a list of Stancombe’s comments. She thinks we can’t see them any more, for some reason. Bear with me. The most important one is coming:

Stancombe 5 Kaye thread 2Stancombe 6 Kaye thread science degreeStancombe 7 Kaye thread 3Stancombe 8 Kaye thread Sian like WestboroStancombe 9 Kaye thread psychopathsWhich brings me back to the title of this post. Stancombe is a teacher in the Queensland education system. As she has said above, she teaches biology, maths, and science. What I would like Education Queensland to pay particular attention to is this comment from Stancombe:

Like I said not going to entertain nut jobs that spew hate. You can all hate together I have school tomorrow to teach all about the pros and cons of vaccination I win

This anti-vaccinationist is going to teach kids, in one of our schools, about immunisation, and she is going to do it with spite.

This anti-vaccinationist is going to teach kids, in one of our schools, about immunisation; and she is going to do it with spite.

I certainly hope that Stancombe’s use of the education system to spread her vicious anti-vaccine message will make its way to the Queensland Education Minister, the Hon John-Paul Langbroek MP. He can be contacted here: Education@ministerial.qld.gov.au.

And one would think that Queensland Health Minister, the Hon Lawrence Springborg MP, would also be interested in this teacher. He can be contacted here: Health@ministerial.qld.gov.au.

It might also be worth an email to the Queensland College of Teachers. They can be contacted here.

Please, let them know how you feel about anti-vaccination zealots spreading their misinformation to our children, to the detriment of public health. Whether they are nurses, or teachers, these people need to be drummed out of our public institutions. Especially when they use their positions, and credentials, to spread anti-science messages which can affect the health of our community.

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, hypocrisy, Immunisation, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Meryl Dorey rallies the troops against Steve Hambleton: they deliver the goods

Posted on April 13, 2013 by

This quick post will mostly consist of screenshots. As is my want, I like to present anti-vaccinationists in the wild; just so the community can see what lurks behind their ethically challenged claims and beliefs. I keep getting told that most vaccine refusers are well-educated. I have to take this as the truth. Who am I to question social researchers? Personally, I’m yet to see any evidence of this claim.

Anti-vaccination campaigners are severely butthurt this week. Immunisation has been in the news, due to concerns about vaccine refusal. The anti-vaccinationists have been rightfully portrayed as society’s underwear’s skidmarks which we know them to be. Just today we have seen some of their threatening behaviour published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Amy Corderoy writes:

NSW opposition health spokesman Andrew McDonald had to call the police after a scathing speech he gave in State Parliament criticising the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), a group which, despite its name, is anti-vaccination.

”May you and yours rot in hell along with the Big Pharma pricks you support,” one email said. ”May you choke on your own bullshit and die.”

And:

Debbie says she was just trying to be a good mother when she began researching immunisation online.

One of the first sites she found belonged to the AVN. ”It all looked legitimate, I thought ‘whoa, vaccines cause autism’, so I didn’t vaccinate my baby,” she says.

But when she saw the tragic story of the death of Dana McCaffery, who in 2009 died at one month from whooping cough, she began asking questions.

“I just felt I had been scammed,” she says. “You can kill your children if they don’t get vaccinated.”

Now she argues on social media with anti-vaccination proponents and is too scared to reveal her identity because of the backlash she has received.

“I hate to even say it out loud, but they say things to me like ‘die you f—ing c–t, die’,” she says. “My children have had the same things said to them.”

On Thursday, Australian Medical Association President Steve Hambleton appeared in the SMH. He is urging a crackdown on anti-vaccination organisations, which is nice. He is also calling for a tightening of immunisation uptake, tied to school eligibility. On the same day, Meryl Dorey called out to her followers, to respond. And, respond they did: they responded with depictions of their own ignorance of immunisation, a stream of insults, and even a threat to shoot DoCS workers (I’m serious). What follows is sort of a Best of…

AVN Steve Hambleton thread

AVN SH thread wanker idiot tosser dribble

AVN SH thread shoot docs workers tool

AVN SH thread bullshit Nazi Germany corporate knob

AVN SH thread wanker communist country

AVN SH thread asshole one world government

AVN SH thread jab that man

AVN: covering themselves in glory.

Posted in abuse, anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, AVN, meryl dorey, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Chiropractors’ Association of Australia: the compulsion of anti-vaccinationism

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

Over the last couple of months attention has been brought upon chiropractors and their tendency towards anti-vaccination misinformation. In March, Amy Corderoy wrote this piece in the Sydney Morning Herald, showing that chiropractors were receiving this (on CAA letterhead) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training from US-based anti-vaccine activist and chiropractor, Tim O’Shea. The story also made it into Antonio Bradley’s articles in 6 Minutes, and The Conversation with this wonderful article by Dr Mick Vagg (this covers the major points). The startling news that the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia would even contemplate providing CPD on immunisation, let alone from someone of the calibre of O’Shea, reverberated pretty quickly amongst the more evidence-based sections of the chiropractic community. The Chiropractic Board of Australia (CBA), which outsourced the CPD approvals to the CAA, immediately stated there would be an investigation into the courses. The CBA also published a Position Statement in response to the affair:

Patients have the right to make their own health decisions, but they need to be appropriately informed about the benefits and the risks to both the individual and the broader community associated with their health decisions.

Practitioners may often be asked to provide information not directly relevant to their competency or the scope of their practice; in such cases patients should be referred to someone with sufficient expertise in that field to have their questions or concerns addressed.

Advice about vaccination is not typically within the usual area of practice for a chiropractor. Current evidence indicates that preventative measures such as vaccination are a cost and clinically effective public health procedure for certain viral and microbial diseases.

When Amy Corderoy’s story broke there was a few days of silence. When the silence broke, Tony Croke – a national director of the CAA – accused her of misquoting him in her article (where Croke said “he did not meet chiropractors who were anti-vaccination”). Amy Corderoy steadfastly stated that her quotes were accurate, and that she had already confirmed that this was the case. So, I asked Croke, on Twitter, whether he did meet any anti-vaccine chiropractors. In fact, I had to ask him several times. He didn’t answer it. Instead, I got obfuscation, then, ridicule in response; Croke linking to a website inferring I was insane for asking him the same question over and over again. It is hard to get a straight answer from these guys.

The CAA doesn't even have a policy on immunisation. It's more of a fingers-in-ears document which is as elusive as a subluxation.

The CAA doesn’t even have a policy on immunisation. It’s more of a fingers-in-ears document which is as elusive as a subluxation.

So, I thought I’d ask Croke about his membership of the Australian Vaccination Network. He argued that he joined to get the “contrarian view”. He admitted being a member, but, that he had left (he left in 2011). I asked him how long he was a member. Let’s just say, I know how long he was a member. But, he wanted to be coy:

How long does one need a contrarian view?

How long does one need a contrarian view?

He wouldn’t answer this question, either:

Well, he wasn't an AVN member for one year. Nor was he a member for five years.

Well, he wasn’t an AVN member for one year. Nor was he a member for five years.

Another of the CAA’s best and brightest is Rob Hutchings, based in Adelaide. He started commenting on the AVN Facebook page in 2010, using what he deemed was his prowess in all matters immunological to support the anti-vaccine organisation. At one point he mentioned anti-freeze (oh, yes he did). Also in 2010 Hutchings thought he would jump into the comments section of a Courier Mail article, to warn people of the dangers of vaccines. Take particular note of this remark by Hutchings:

I am a doctor and I wrote a thesis on vaccination

Chirpractor deliberately pretending to be a doctor so as to provide anti-vaccine misinformation. Nice.

Chiropractor deliberately pretending to be a doctor so as to provide anti-vaccine misinformation. Nice.

Joe Ierano is the President of the CAA (NSW). He also likes to support and protect the AVN. From “dark powers”, apparently. Here he is in February 2010, on the AVN Facebook page:

I know. Just send light to this situation.

I know. Just send light to this situation.

One of my favourite CAA members is NSW North Coast chiropractor, Jason Parkes. He has previously referred to the HPV vaccine as “the skank vaccine”, and here gives what I think is a powerful argument advocating that vaccines do in fact cause autism, and not a rare (in this instance) mitochondrial disorder:

Look. Mitochondrial bullshit may in fact be a smokescreen. Who am I to argue?

Look. Mitochondrial bullshit may in fact be a smokescreen. Who am I to argue?

And here is the CAA’s Parkes again, on the AVN Facebook page. Defending chiropractic, he states:

Of course we don’t support vaccination, it’s the biggest medical sham since blood letting!

Oh, Hi Joe! You must admit, Jason Parkes' honesty is refreshing.

Oh, Hi Joe! You must admit, Jason Parkes’ honesty is refreshing.

There is a kind of favourite chiropractor, bordering on a soft spot for many of us. CAA NSW Board Member Nimrod Weiner has seen his fair share of heartache. However, with Weiner still busy filling his Facebook page with information advocating chiropractic on babies, the soft spot dulls somewhat.

In 2011 Weiner ventured into immunisation information provision with a series of seminars. Adam Cresswell wrote in The Australian:

In a public talk, the Sydney chiropractor linked vaccines to asbestos, thalidomide and cigarettes, and said they contained bits of aborted fetus. The chiropractor backed the debunked research of deregistered British doctor Andrew Wakefield – which suggested the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine might cause autism – as “scientifically good”…

Mr Weiner declined to comment, referring questions from The Australian to a PR company, which said the Chiropractors Association of Australia (NSW) had no position on vaccination and “any comments that Nimrod Weiner may have made would be his private opinions, not those of the association”.

Weiner faced no sanction for his misinformation sessions, later retracting the slides from his website. Dr Rachael Dunlop has also written a comprehensive account of the events surrounding Weiner’s disastrous anti-vaccination seminars.

Why that long preamble, you ask? Well, I found out, yesterday, that another CAA member, Todd Gignac, of Adelaide Family Chiropractic, is planning his own vaccination seminar, to be held on Thursday May 2 2013. Gignac is describing this event as a “complimentary public service”:

The Greater Good. Public service. Well done, champ.

The Greater Good. Public service. Well done, champ.

I want to give the benefit of the doubt. I really do. But, when someone is advocating doing a “public service” using the sentence, “be informed, not by propaganda or junk science, but the actual facts… then you can make the best decisions”, whilst citing The Greater Good, an anti-vaccine propaganda piece par excellence – shredded here by Dr David Gorski - then my skeptical antennae start spinning out of control.

And when one of the first things you see on the Adelaide Family Chiropractic Facebook page is a multi-coloured graph by none other than Raymond Obomsawin – also shredded here by Orac – using the term “blind faith” to describe influenza immunisation, then, my skeptical antennae tie themselves up in a knot:

The world's only graphs which look exactly like red flags of quackery, eliciting an immediate response.

The world’s only graphs which look exactly like red flags of quackery, eliciting an immediate response.

But, when the Adelaide Family Chiropractic’s chiropractic assistant sends an email to the wrong website, thinking it is the website of Kathy Scarborough (South Australia’s version of Meryl Dorey and her anti-vaccine AVN), seeking out the advice of that anti-vaccination campaigner; then, you know this seminar is going to be about anything but facts and public health benefits. Here is an email mistakenly sent to my friend, under the inept presumption that the email was going to Kathy Scarborough (re-produced in the public interest, and in the interests of public health):

Hi Kathy,

Im emailing you on behalf of Dr Todd Gignac, who is a
Chiropractor in morphett vale. We are doing a seminar on the 2nd of May and Dr Todd was wondering if there is a time he could have a chat to you?
Our office number is 08 8322 8399

Regards

[redacted]

So, even after all of the turmoil members of the CAA have gotten themselves into, we still have CAA members all too happy to present anti-vaccination seminars to members of our community, under the guise of providing information. It is obvious that Gignac does not have the competence to be discussing immunisation, given his judgement on what constitutes reliable information (on his Facebook page), or to whom he goes for such information (Scarborough). I would strongly urge anyone who can get along to this seminar to do so, so as to take notes and report on the information given. People who deliberately misinform the community about health matters need to be held to account. In South Australia, chiropractors come under the auspices of AHPRA.

It is unfortunate that a whole profession gets tainted by the actions of some members of the CAA. What really makes me think this is a larger problem is that many of the self-promoting, high-flying, boys club of chiro-stars are not amenable to accountability, evidence, or self-reflection. There are many more examples than those I have cited above, but, there appears to be a pattern of hubris, ineptitude, and a mixture of both, which is bringing the whole profession down. These people have a natural tendency towards anti-vaccinationism, and only rarely do they admit their true views. For those who declare their anti-vaccine views, I thank you. For the others, why don’t you just come clean, so the community knows what is at the heart of your views on immunisation?

It is coincidental, but, hopefully not without a provocation for action, that I blogged a Parliamentary Speech by South Australian MLC Kyam Maher, in which Mr Maher called for more to be done about the proliferation of pseudoscience and those who promote it. Let’s hope the time for action is now.

______________________________________________

Here is a list of Professional Members of the anti-vaccine Australian Vaccination Network. I don’t know how many of these chiropractic members are also CAA members. We’ll get around to counting, one day. This image, courtesy of Liam Skoda, represents AVN professional membership:

AVN PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP PIECHART BY PROFESSION 2.0

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, AVN, Immunisation, meryl dorey, skeptic, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

AVN slammed in South Australian Parliament

Posted on April 6, 2013 by

I’m hoping this becomes a slammed-in-parliament series. Last week I wrote this post: Anti-vaccination network slammed in NSW Parliament. I have just found out that two of my favourite groups - anti-vaccinationists, and general conspiracy wingnuts – were served a cold dish of whoop-arse in the South Australian Legislative Council (home of chemtrailer, Ann Bressington). The hero, in this case? Kyam Maher MLC:

AVN Kyam Maher SA MLC speech Bressington

Meryl Dorey and Ann Bressington can be heard to exclaim, in unison: “HANG ON, I RESEMBLE THAT COMMENT”.

I am ashamed that this speech slipped by, almost one week before Dr Andrew McDonald’s speech in NSW Parliament. But, better late than never.

Thank you Mr Maher. You have pretty much nailed it. We can only hope that this conversation will lead to similar changes in South Australian health complaints legislation (and other States and Territories), as those which are underway in New South Wales right now. Without appropriate mechanisms to hold cranks to account, all we can do is complain amongst ourselves. That doesn’t help anyone.

I will include the full transcript of Mr Maher’s March 20 2013 speech, because it so good:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (15:33): As members of parliament, we have a great privilege in shaping the policy and laws that guide our state, but with that, I believe, comes a responsibility to base what we do on the best available evidence and on scientific consensus. Science is central to our understanding of the world. Good, accepted science is testable, can be replicated, peer reviewed, unpicked, examined and reconstructed, but it is also open to new ideas and is self-correcting when better evidence is presented and properly tested.

However, science regularly finds itself under attack. As Ian Chubb, Chief Scientist for Australia, recently noted:

As a society, we should be challenging those who, regardless of reason or factual basis, mock science and scientists for their spurious ends, whether it’s a headline or avoiding an inconvenient truth.

And he is right. The Hon. Ann Bressington has been making quite a name for herself recently in her assaults on accepted science. From her Agenda 21 conspiracy, which seems to hold that scientists and policy makers across the world are secretly involved in an elaborate conspiracy to control all aspects of our lives, to supporting the chemtrail conspiracy, which claims aeroplanes deliberately drop chemicals on the population for some reason. Apparently, it happens right here in Adelaide. To quote the Hon. Ann Bressington, ‘from two unmarked plain white small aircraft that often land at Parafield Airport after a morning spray’.

Many such conspiracy assaults on science can be mildly amusing and, apart from encouraging others to abandon reason and critical thinking, do not necessarily do much external harm. However, some anti-science irrationality actually causes harm—potentially, great harm.The Hon. Ann Bressington is a well-known and vocal opponent of the fluoridation of water. I am not an expert in this area of science, so I rely on the overwhelming scientific consensus. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council and the World Health Organisation are strong supporters, and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention have called fluoridation of public water supplies one of the 10 most important public health achievements of the 20th century.

It is suggested that fluoride is dangerous because it is toxic. This falsehood comes from a very fundamental misunderstanding of the idea of toxicity. Toxicity is dose dependent; it depends literally on how much you have. The water to which fluoride is added is toxic in high enough doses; when consumed in large quantities, people die from water intoxication. Respected scientists, experts in their field, those whose research is properly peer reviewed, overwhelmingly agree that the levels of fluoride added to public water supplies are safe and have a very positive dental health effect.

Then there are some anti-scientific pursuits that can actually lead to deaths, such as the anti-vaccination movement. The Hon. Ann Bressington commented on Twitter as recently as last month that vaccines are about population reduction. Nothing could be further removed from reality. Vaccines save the life of an estimated three million people every year.

As with the fluoridation of water, over time individuals, groups and researchers dwelling at the fringes of science have criticised the efficacy of vaccinations, or they have falsified or overstated potential side effects of vaccinations. Perhaps the best known example is that of Dr Andrew Wakefield, whose claim against the scientific consensus that the MMR vaccine might be linked to autism saw vaccination rates in England drop considerably. The dangers of relying on bad, not accepted science were highlighted when this particular doctor, who was found to have falsified his results, was struck off as a medical practitioner and massive conflicts of interest in his research were revealed.

The Australian Vaccination Network is a fearmongering anti-vaccination group pushing this life-threatening nonsense in this country. They have been the subject of various adverse findings and orders by health authorities, government departments and Liberal government ministers in their home base of New South Wales. I congratulate the New South Wales authorities for tackling this dangerous group.

The risks posed by the anti-vaccination movement are real. Millions die unnecessarily. Children too young to have their full course of vaccinations and the herd immunity that prevents the uncontrolled spread of horrible disease are put at risk. On vaccination the science is clear; the debate is over. The benefits of vaccines are so immense that the morality of advocating against them without very good evidence needs to be questioned. When bad science is promoted such that it can cause great harm, we have an obligation to call it out. We cannot stand idly by and let such claims go unchecked.

I note that the Hon. Rob Lucas is down to speak after me, and I invite the shadow health minister, who sits in this chamber, to join with me in condemning dangerous anti-scientific approaches to public health that can endanger lives and cause death.

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, AVN, Health Care Complaints Commission, meryl dorey, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Drowning in False Balance, with Channel Seven News

Posted on April 6, 2013 by

Over six months ago I wrote about WIN News, and its decision to interview anti-vaccination campaigner, Meryl Dorey, in a segment alerting the community to a Measles outbreak. The interview got all the negative attention it deserved, making it all the way to Media Watch, and the industry regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). ACMA is still to deliver its verdict over the interview, which it deemed was worthy of investigation (this is no mean feat).

If we go even further back to Ellen Fanning’s excellent 60 Minutes piece on immunisation, Getting The Point (June 2011), national audiences were introduced to this pair:

Viera Scheibner belittles Bronwyn Hancock (left).

Viera Scheibner belittles her partner Bronwyn Hancock (right).

Here is the transcript, showing exactly what Hancock’s friend and ally thinks of her:

VIERA: [to Hancock] Don’t answer things that you don’t know enough about, OK – don’t answer them. You were drowning. So let’s call a spade a spade.

ELLEN FANNING: Why would she be drowning?

VIERA: Because she hasn’t got the extent of knowledge that I have.

ELLEN FANNING: If she hasn’t got the extensive knowledge, why on earth is she writing these articles on the website?

VIERA: Maybe you have a point then, yes. That’s right. Maybe you have a point there, okay.

Getting the point, indeed. If only Channel Seven News had have got the same point:

____________________________________________

The Channel Seven News story was to introduce the roll-out of the new MMRV vaccine, to be given to children at 18 months of age, meaning there will be one less needle for kids. Excellent! Or so you thought. Threaded through the story (which is mostly excellent), is the fear-mongering presence of the unqualified harbinger of death and destruction, the anti-vaccinationist; this time wearing the Bronwyn Hancock mask. What was Hancock’s contribution? This mangled set of word-things-brain-damage:

Convulsions, uh, can occur and they are associated with, um, in some cases with, uh, permanent brain damage.

Permanent brain damage, you say? Let’s have a look at the risks of permanent brain damage from Measles, as compared to the vaccine:

Effects of disease:

1 in 15 children with measles develops pneumonia and 1 in 1,000 develops encephalitis (brain inflammation).

For every 10 children who develop encephalitis,  1 dies and up to 4 have permanent brain damage. About 1 in 100,000 develops SSPE (brain degeneration), which is always fatal.

Side effects of vaccination:

About 1 in 10 has discomfort, local inflammation or fever. About 1 in 20 develops a rash, which is noninfectious. 1 in 1 million recipients may develop encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) [which is even more rarely permanent].

What is particularly interesting to me is Seven News’ decision to include an anti-vaccinationist in a factual story concerning public health. We know anti-vaccinationists are not honest brokers of accurate information. We know they are never qualified to speak on that which they are asked. We know that they feed on and stoke the flames of fear, based on their reckons, not facts. So, why are they sought out? The cynic in me jumps to ratings. But, it is more than that. It is about this incessant need to present bollocks dressed up as balance.

What is really interesting to me is that Bronwyn Hancock was cut from the online version of the story. Why was that? The stories are identical. The YouTube version (above), recorded live, contains Hancock. The official online version does not. Does Seven News already know that they may have botched this one?

In this wonderful instructional video on false balance, Dara O’Briain lays it out simply:

____________________________________________

Similarly, if a revolutionary surgery has been proven effective in removing brain tumours, do we seek a balanced view from Andrew, the guy in the video store, who happens to be anti-brain surgery, to counter the views of Professor Mitchell? No, we don’t.

If a diesel mechanic of thirty years experience is advising punters on how best to avoid getting water in their lines, do we turn to Tristan the financial adviser, who happens to be anti-mechanical intervention, to advise us that water is natural and that we should therefore allow our diesel engines to grind to a halt, as nature intended? No, we do not.

Then, why on earth do news programs, who are meant to be our reliable source of factual information, interview people on things they know nothing about, whose intent is to see immunisation rates drop to zero? In effect, these people want to see more children dead, from disease, because that’s how the stronger children survive. How *cough* Darwinian. How very 19th Century.

I urge you to make your thoughts known, to Seven News, here [edit April 7: as per complaints process questions, The segment aired on Seven News Sydney, at 6pm, in Sydney, on March 28 2013].

If you are unsatisfied with the response to your complaint, you may upgrade your complaint to ACMA. Details will be provided by Channel Seven in their response.

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Anti-vaccination network slammed in NSW Parliament

Posted on April 2, 2013 by

As regular anti-vaccination watchers would be aware, due to the stunning work of Meryl Dorey and her anti-vaccination organisation, the Australian Vaccination Network, questionable health service providers of all stripes will be held to greater account by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission. This includes homeopaths, naturopaths, and all other practitioners who like to make grand claims of efficacy, devoid of substance. The Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 (page 18554), introduced by Health Minister Jillian Skinner, is steamrolling ahead, and seems likely to pass with support from all sides of politics.

On March 26 2013 Opposition Health Spokesperson Dr Andrew McDonald responded to Minister Skinner’s introduction of the Bill (page 19404). His speech is rightly scathing of the misleading information of the AVN, and the AVN’s misleading name (and he was not alone – other MPs were equally scathing). Dr McDonald seeks amendments to some sections of the Bill; however, importantly, seeks no amendments to Schedule 2 – the section pertinent to the AVN and other misleading health service providers – commending the Minister for the Bill, whilst at the same time commending Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts for his work in ordering the AVN to change their name. Interestingly, Dr McDonald also notes that he had cause to call police after threatening emails were sent to him by AVN supporters.

Here is the important excerpt from Dr McDonald’s speech [bold mine]:

Schedule 2 to the bill amends the Health Care Complaints Act 1993. The Health Care Complaints Commission is independent and its role is to assess, investigate and prosecute complaints against health practitioners and health service providers. The drivers for these changes are the 2012 Supreme Court decision in Australian Vaccination Network Inc. v Health Care Complaints Commission and the result of the 2010 joint parliamentary committee’s review of the Health Care Complaints Act 1993.

The Supreme Court decision has limited the ability of the Health Care Complaints Commission to investigate matters. Presently, the Health Care Complaints Commission can investigate only when a complaint is made that affects the management of an individual person. Immunisation depends on herd immunity and a highly immunised population is vital to prevent the spread of epidemics. If the herd immunity drops, the vulnerable are put at risk. That is why we have epidemics of vaccine-preventable conditions, such as whooping cough and measles. In 2009 Dana McCaffery from the North Coast of New South Wales, aged one month, died from whooping cough. Her photo is a centrepiece of the lecture on immunisation that is given to all medical students of the University of Western Sydney to stress the need for high immunisation rates as being vital protection for young children such as Dana.

However, the New South Wales immunisation rate remains in the low ninetieth percentile, due partly to the ability of such groups as Australian Vaccination Network to muddy the waters about immunisation. Parents seeking impartial advice on immunisation and Google “vaccination in Australia” will find the Australian Vaccination Network website comes up as number two on that search. The Australian Vaccination Network is a fervent and highly virulent anti-immunisation group. Its name and website are designed to mislead unsuspecting community members to believe that a balanced view about immunisation is being presented. When provoked, Australian Vaccination Network’s fellow travellers can and do behave reprehensibly. The police have been called to my office on one occasion following threatening emails after I raised concerns about the practices of the Australian Vaccination Network.

The bill amends section 7 of the Health Care Complaints Act to make clear that a complaint can be made against a health service if the health service affects, or is likely to affect, the clinical management or care of an individual client. This will mean that if a person or group acts as health service providers in a manner that is likely to affect an individual, even if one has not been identified, the Health Care Complaints Commission will have the necessary jurisdiction to investigate a complaint against that health service provider. The Australian Vaccination Network website is a mixture of scientific fact, half-truths and unproven allegations that only an expert eye can pick.

As I said earlier, this is a group that vehemently opposes immunisation. Groups or persons such as the Australian Vaccination Network are entitled to their views because we can all agree to disagree. However, the Australian Vaccination Network is a health service provider and should accurately reflect what those views are—in this case anti-immunisation. Like all health service providers it also should accept the consequences of its provision of health services on individual patients. This amendment to the Health Care Complaints Act 1993 should achieve this, and I commend the Minister for bringing this part of the legislation to the House. I commend and support the Minister for Fair Trading for his efforts to ensure that the Australian Vaccination Network adopt a name that accurately reflects its views.

This is all now on the public record.

There is not much more I can add to Dr McDonald’s speech.

Just a beautiful little baby girl, nestled in her Daddy’s legs.

dana_mccaffery

We love you, darlin’.

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, Health Care Complaints Commission, meryl dorey, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

NSW mountebanks all thank Meryl Dorey for changes to the Health Care Complaints Act.

Posted on March 14, 2013 by

On Wednesday March 13 2013 NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner introduced the Health Legislation Amendment Bill, 2013 (page 60). This amendment to the Health Care Complaints Act effectively closes the loophole which was highlighted by Meryl Dorey and her anti-vaccination organisation, the Australian Vaccination Network.

So, it with great thanks to Meryl Dorey and her tenacious nature and ideological fervour that health practitioners of all stripes, and their unfounded claims and dangerous advice, will now be subject to even greater scrutiny by regulatory authorities. I can already hear scuttling noises at the borders.

Here is what Minister Skinner had to say, in Parliament:

As members will be aware, the Health Care Complaints Act established the Health Care Complaints Commission as an independent body to assess, investigate and prosecute complaints against health practitioners and health service providers. However, a 2012 Supreme Court decision, Australian Vaccination Network Inc. v Health Care Complaints Commission, has led to a limitation on when the Health Care Complaints Commission can investigate matters affecting public health or safety. The structure of the Health Care Complaints Act means the Health Care Complaints Commission has jurisdiction to investigate a matter only when a valid complaint has been made. Section 7 of the Act sets out whom a complaint can be made about and this list includes health service providers. However, the recent case in the Supreme Court found the Health Care Complaints Commission can investigate only if the complaint shows that the health service in question affects the clinical management or care of an individual client.
The judgement has created significant concern that a complaint cannot be investigated by the Health Care Complaints Commission if the matter raises a real likelihood of impacting on public health or safety: There must be a specific case where an individual client is affected, thereby limiting the capacity of the Health Care Complaints Commission to act in the public interest. The bill therefore amends section 7 of the Health Care Complaints Act to make clear that a complaint can be made against a health service if the health service affects, or is likely to affect, the clinical management or care of an individual client.

So, when the Bill passes (which it will, with support from all sides of Parliament), no longer will the HCCC require a complaint from an individual whose care was directly affected. Now, thanks to Meryl Dorey, dubious practitioners can be investigated by the HCCC if their service is “likely” to affect an individual.

So, to the Michael Jensens, Fran Sheffields, Nimrod Weiners, and all of your associates: ALL HAIL MERYL. She has dropped you in it, big time. Time to get your houses in order.

Skinner pic Wilyman on phone

Posted in anti-vaccination dishonesty, australian vaccination network, AVN, Health Care Complaints Commission, meryl dorey, stop the australian vaccination network | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Bressingtonville: Just like the movie Ghost

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

Yesterday I wrote a post about the antics of South Australian Member of the Legislative Council, Ann Bressington. It was in regard to Bressington’s refusal to admit inciting death threats from her followers, by posting a wanted poster of Federal health Minister Tanya Plibersek, whilst refusing to delete and admonish these comments and those who made them. Having already posted the wanted poster three times Bressington posted it again, last night, in what can only be perceived as a childish lashing out. Bressington has been in attack mode ever since members of the community and the press have questioned her behaviour. Tory Shepherd has written another article, today, about the behaviour of anti-science denialists who like to attack.

Last night, Bressington blocked me on Facebook. This must mean that I can no longer see her public posts from her Facebook profile. Anyway. At the same time that she blocked me, Bressington also posted this public notice to me, on her Facebook profile, from where she blocked me:

TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, PETER TIERNEY (REASONABLE HANK).
Today my Personal Assistant received an email from Mr. Peter Tierney in relation constituent wanting to meet with me about posting the poster below on my facebook page a couple of days ago.

First of all let me say that my staff are off limits to the individuals who are running a smear campaign in relation to this poster.  We have office procedures in place that allow for schedule planning.  My assistant gave instructions for the constituent to forward his concerns via email her email, which is office protocol.  At no time did my assistant deny a face-to face with me, because she says it was NOT  requested.  She merely requested that he follow the same procedure as everyone else is required to do.  My Personal Assistant is responsible for managing my diary as the title would suggest.

Do I condone “death threats on my facebookpage”?  No I do not condone death threats in any forum and absolutely NOT on my facebook page.

As I have stated on the “Ann Bressington Appreciation” facebook page that appears to have been established as nothing more than a slur page.  I DID NOT SEE THE ALLEGED DEATH THREAT.  After review of that page it would be clear that I made no further contribution to that post.

I reposted it later to inform people that Tory Shepherd had questioned me about whether or not I believed Tanya Pliberseck was guilty of crimes against humanity and as I stated my response was “given the peer reviewed scientific studies done on the toxicity of fluoride for human ingestion I believed it was negligent of any health Minister or Dept of health Official not to look at those studies”.  I terminated the conversation.

I reposted it again requesting that people remove the post from their walls.  Again making no comment on the post and NOT aware that an alleged death threat had been made.

I was NOT responsible for creating the poster and did post it to my wall believing that it was harmless and was an individuals way of expressing their dissatisfaction with forced water fluoridation.  I do not believe it was ‘intended to incite violence” otherwise I would not have posted it as I have NOT posted other racial or violent posts on my page. I hope this explanation is sufficient for the people of South Australia and Mr. Peter Tierney.  If the constituent in question wants to meet with me the procedure is as follows.  Send an email to my PA with your concerns.  We will schedule and appointment at the first available day and time to address your concerns.

Yours sincerely

Ann Bressington.

Statement from Ann Bressington MLC, who votes on South Australian legislation

Statement from Ann Bressington MLC, who votes on South Australian legislation

Basically, knowing that the poster has incited her followers, the poster which Bressington calls “harmless”, she goes ahead and posts it again. Bressington did disingenuously ask people not to share the poster, by sharing the poster again, on February 27 2013. Her supporters gleefully acknowledged that they would share it again:

Either Ann was being too obtuse for her followers, or they got her disingenuosness precisely

Either Ann was being too obtuse for her followers, or they got her disingenuousness precisely

But, back to Bressington’s public notice and the issue of incitement. Remember that Bressington states, clearly, that “my Personal Assistant received an email from Mr. Peter Tierney”, directly implying harassment, by me, of her staff? Here is what one of Bressington’s followers has advised, after the usual calls of abuse:

Because Ann must be protected from receiving emails, right? Like all the people in government she wants people to email.

Because Ann must be protected from receiving emails, right? Like all the people in government she wants people to email.

Unfortunately for Bressington, I have not sent her any emails. I have not contacted her office in any way. I have not requested any face-to-face meetings with her.

I expect Bressington will now make this fact clear to her abusive followers, and correct the record.

For some lighter relief, some stunning comments were made about me by her followers on another thread where Bressington had incited her followers. This is glorious:

Mazz and former Sgt Savage. You could not script this if you tried.

Mazz and former Sgt Savage. You could not script this if you tried.

demon possessed

Ghost 1

ghost 2

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments