Finally the Government have shown exactly how they see the future of midwifery looking. Basically there will be no real midwife.

Independent midwives for the chop

Here is the amendment to the Bill put out by Roxon.

The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon today circulated an amendment the government intends to introduce into the Health Legislation (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill Midwife Professional Indemnity (Commonwealth Contribution) Scheme Bill.

This amendment makes clear in the legislation something that was articulated both on introduction of the Bill to parliament and in the explanatory material tabled at that time.

Following requests for clarification, this amendment will simply clarify in legislation that collaborative arrangements with medical practitioners will be required to access the new arrangements.

The details of these requirements will be specified in subordinate legislation following the ongoing consultation with the professional groups.

These bills are a key plank of the Government’s 2009/10 Budget commitments which recognises for the first time the role of appropriately qualified and experienced midwives and nurse practitioners in our health system.

The Minister for Health and Ageing said today “I thank the doctors, nurses and midwives for their constructive engagement to date to ensure these new opportunities for nurses and midwives are implemented in an integrated fashion for the benefit of patients.”

For more information contact the Minister’s office on 02 6277 7220

What this means for us is that we have to have an arrangement with a private Ob or GP Ob to be eligible to practice. This arrangement means we will be working for an Ob.

There are a few points here.

1. This totally contravense the international definition on of a midwife. Midwives are autonomous. Midwifery is a profession in it’s own right. Not nurses, not doctors but carers who look after healthy pregnant women and can birth with them in any setting.
2. What Ob in this country is going to support and Independent midwife? Women are even getting trouble with a simple blood test if they admit to planning a homebirth with a midwife. A GO even told me unless a woman sees an Ob then she couldn’t do bloods because her insurance wouldn’t allow it? When I questioned her ethics she said, “it’s the way of the world these days”. WTF?

This little sentence comes from the Medical Observer:

Andrew Bracey and Shannon McKenzie -id y, 6 6 November 2009

After months of intense lobbying, the Government has bowed to GP pressure and amended proposed legislation to ensure nurse practitioners must work in collaborative partnerships with doctors.

In what is being heralded as a win for the profession, Health Minister Nicola Roxon last week announced the netipulatlation would be built integislation that will grant nurse practitioners access to the MBS and PBS from November 2010.

So the most powerful lobby group in the country come before womens rights to birth. What a surprise. I also Heard Nicola on the radio yesterday saying this is what they were always going to do. BULLSHIT! That isn’t what she told midwives. Trust and believe we won’t make midwives illegal is more like what she was saying.

I am at a loss. This should be voted down. Hopefully the International Confederation of Midwives will get involved. I have no idea what is going on in the College of midwives but I hope to God that they are fighting for this.

There are other things in this legislation that will be devestating for midwives. We are constantly lumped in with Nurse practitioners. WE ARE MIDWIVES. Now however they are going to make up a new title of midwife practitioner. A MIDWIFE IS A MIDWIFE. Not jobbing midwives v eligible midwives v midwife practitioners. We can’t allow this to happen. Splitting the profession into tiers is terrible. Every qualified midwife meets the international definition and should be entitled to practice as such.On Monday there is a rally outside Kevin Rudds Office in Brisbane. please se cider er coming. This is not just about homebirth, it’s about midwifery as whole. They are trying to redefine midwifery and take away our profession and our place with women.

> Prime Minister
> Kevin Rudd¹s office
> 630 Wynnum Road
> Morningside Qld 4170

Maybe this time we will be news worthy, although I doubt it since 2/3ooo people in Canberra hardly made the news. I wonder if Lavender and Pesce would ring the media for us, they know how to lobby. Hey Andrew up for that date yet?

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