disillusioned and pissed off with the Australian Federal Government these days. Whilst governments in other countries seem to be showing signs of concern about the health and well-being of their citizens, the Aussie government (seemingly regardless of the party in power) couldn’t care less. There are a couple of issues in particular, which currently cause me concern.

_{(I was going to list these separately under two other goals, but decided they fit quite well within a general rant.)}

The first is an overall concern, regarding the Government’s ignorance (or general unwillingness to give a damn) about reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a classic example. Several countries have banned its use in many products, due to concerns over it being an endocrine disruptor. BPA is used in many plastic products (including food/beverage containers) and in the coating lining many metal food cans. Despite increasing evidence of BPA’s negative impact on health, the chemical industry continues to claim BPA is safe to use. There’s an article here which makes for interesting reading.

It seems that even the US Government (in small steps) is starting to take action over BPA. But the Aussie Government? Well, they’ve done fuck all – and don’t seem to be showing any signs of interest whatsoever.

My second bugbear is more personal, regarding the current draft legislation regarding maternity services. Whilst it offers some real positives – particularly in the form of Medicare prescribing rights for Midwives – there are some awful negatives being proposed. As part of this legislation, it will be a requirement that Midwives be registered and take out professional indemnity insurance.

Now, I can see the sense in registration and even (whilst sad that its increasingly deemed necessary in health) for the insurance. The only problem is that there is currently no insurance provider within Australia offering coverage to private midwives operating independently of the hospital system… so they will no longer be able to practise.

Not a problem if you’re planning to birth your child within the hospital system… in this country, a system with intervention rates well above WHO recommendations. But, if you have a ‘normal’ pregnancy and you’re hoping to give birth at home with a qualified midwife present, as I hope to one day – bad luck. There are currently about three hospital-linked home-birth programmes in Australia – great if you live in (particular regions within) the cities of Adelaide, Perth or Darwin. Nothing on offer for the rest of the country.

Effectively, home-births with the support of a qualified, skilled Midwife will become illegal in most of Australia. There will be no middle ground between hospital and free-birthing. When you consider that countries such as Canada and the UK (to mention just a couple) offer home-birth programmes as part of the public maternity system, it seems that once again (read: as per usual) the Australian Government is way behind the times.

In writing this, I’ve realised the saddest part is that the Government is supposed to act on behalf of its people. Perhaps the lack of interest is simply a reflection of Australian society as a whole. Whilst we’re often proud of our laid-back attitude to life, our unwillingness to get off our collective arse and take action (rather than simply bitching) may end up bringing about our own undoing. Perhaps, instead of pointing my finger and whining about the situation, I need to get off my own butt and take action.