“SAD HISTORY OF LABOR'S NEGLECT OF THE PLIGHT OF MEN-IN-NEED OVER (almost) 14 YEARS PREAMBLE: As someone who used to be a Labor voter for all of my voting life, I have to tell you that I haven't voted Labor for the past 14 years. In 1998 Peter BEATTIE wrote to me (as Secretary of the then 4 year old Men's Help Line) in the lead-up to that election: "We are particularly aware of the lack of services in the community for the support of men in need." Also, in this same letter, that I still possess: "Labor will prepare and implement measures for an assault on ill-health among men, recognising that men suffer worse health outcomes than women in almost every category of illness and injury." To almost everyone's continuing surprise, almost nothing has been done in either of these areas over all this time. By way of comparison, Women's Health Queensland Wide and Women's InfoLink have been funded (largely by the Queensland government) at a level of the order of one million dollars for every one of these past 14 years. No one doubts the necessity of WHQW and WInfoLink and the work that they do - but there is another 49% of the electorate that is being ignored. After repeated reminders, and no response, we could be excused for concluding that the Labor belief is: men in need really don't matter to us. So, (Anna Bligh) as it became glaringly obvious to us that your Department of Communities had nigh on zero interest in offering support in this area, MHL reluctantly took the message and closed down. This was after 6 years as the first men's support service of its type in the country, and after 18,000 calls and no advertising. All this from a small group of volunteers, operating 24/7 and funded from our own pockets. There used to be a proud Labor tradition of offering support wherever and whenever it is seen to be needed. Clearly, this tradition seems to have been dead for all of this time. QUESTION: Premier, your own Departmental letterhead calls us the SMART STATE and the HEALTHY STATE and the FAIR STATE. If, after more than 14 years of knowing the need (in respect of men in need and men's health) and doing almost nothing about it, why should either half of the electorate have any faith in your claims to FAIRNESS? Trevor Ozanne ”

Trevor Ozanne · 1 year ago · 147 votes · 2 comments