SOME OF FAIRGO'S SUCCESS STORIES

FairGO is often only one of many factors in successful campaigns. This is one reason that every person can influence government. Often we think we are alone, yet in other places, at other times, other people are doing the same sort of thing. Each one reinforces the actions of the other. We do not compete for glory, but complement each other for results. Governments are most influenced by similar action from unrelated people.

In most cases cited below, names have been changed to protect individual privacy. References to "Votergrams" are to the pre-email versions of what we now call "Vmails". Click on any of the issues below to read a summary of the campaign success.

Snowy Mountains

FairGO helped voters ensure that the NSW Government retains control of leases in the Perisher Range skifields of the NSW Snowy Mountains, rather than granting a Head Lease to a private company which could then have controlled all other leases in the area and even sold out to overseas interests.
<< Back to list

Women's health

Advocates concerned about the impact of DES (the anti-miscarriage drug diethylstilboestrol) on women, particularly DES daughters, have successfully campaigned for a link from the Department of Health and Ageing website to the informative US "DES Update".
 
Advising FairGO of their success, one of their number wrote on 21.11. 2005 "I am pleased to let you know that the government has now provided a direct link to the US Website at the A-Z section of the Dept of Health and Ageing website. I thank you and your colleagues for all your help and I have absolutely no doubt that the Votergrams and Vmails jogged this issue along." Carol
<< Back to list
 
Preschool funding

A Sydney pre-school, long denied funds to which it was entitled has just received its first cheque this week (December 2005). This success followed a prolonged campaign of claim and counter claim by which the real reasons for non-payment were uncovered and found to be false. The campaign was headed by Jo, one of FairGO's younger generation who helped plan the first Votergrams and has worked on them since 1986.
<< Back to list 

Mental Health

Finally, thanks particularly to the efforts of two dedicated women, mental health reform is on the political agenda. Jean and Dianne sowed the seeds of concern in political minds. They explained in detail, with names, the failures of politicians and neglect of governments to care properly for people with mental illnesses. They constantly advocated better treatment than the gutter or gaol. Into the fertile ground these ladies had prepared so diligently fell a few politicians. Then the message came home. It could afflict politicians too. Now they promise action! This is a start, but it will go nowhere fast unless we keep the pressure up. Join us!
<< Back to list 

Safe Australian Roads

Once again FairGO's persistence and strategies are paying off in relation to its Safe Australian Roads campaign. Roads and Traffic Authorities are finally acting to increase driver skills. That means lifting skills and perceptions of driving instructors, including parents. There is also a gradual, but by no means adequate, willingness by politicians to take the "killer" drivers off the road until they can drive safely. Such proposals were totally rejected when we first suggested them. Thanks to those who have joined us in this campaign to crash-proof Australian drivers. We need more to achieve our goal.
<< Back to list 

Speeding trucks

We are pleased to see that soon after our most recent comment about trucks still speeding (November 2005) the NSW Minister last week announced action against them.
<< Back to list

Road deaths and injuries reduced

In 1987, following fatal coal truck crashes in NSW, followed a couple of years later by fatal bus crashes, voters were told the road toll was "intractable", i.e. could not be reduced. They commenced a campaign through FairGO to alert politicians to fatal crashes, particularly by heavy vehicles and to request government action against the transport companies, road criminals and incompetent drivers causing the majority of crashes. By 2005 the death toll has been reduced to almost half.
<< Back to list

Road criminals and incompetent drivers

Road criminals and incompetent drivers kill about 2,000 Australians a year. Many kill randomly simply for the thrill of dangerous driving. Motorists worried about the death toll approached FairGO for licencing and registration improvements. When FairGO first started helping them ask for licences and vehicle registrations of offenders to be suspended or cancelled, they were told point blank that it would never happen. Today, after years of campaigning, those who deliberately risk the lives of others, not caring whether they are children, mothers to be, grandparents or any men women and teens, stand a real chance of having their licences suspended when arrested by Police. These killers posing as ordinary citizens are the most dangerous people in Australia and we are pleased with the success of our campaign to tackle the crime that has killed about 35,000 Australians since we began campaigning in 1987 and seriously injured another 300,000.
<< Back to list

Trucking safety

Trucking in Australia is a tricky business. Rigs are expensive to buy and costly to run. When we first began our road safety campaign against truck drivers who were driving their enormous rigs at 140 K/ph or more, swerving from lane to lane because of overloading, tiredness or drugs, killing a lot of other road users, they reacted angrily. When I explained that we wanted them to get home alive to their families too and be able to earn good income driving legally, they turned around and started to help us. Eventually truck drivers made up about a third of the motorists in our "Roadwatch" network. They would phone FairGO to tell us how authorities turned a blind eye to road crime and offered to take me to watch bribes being handed over. I gave that last offer a miss. They would ring and explain the ruthless tactics being employed by major trucking operators, some famous names in Australia, to make truckies drive a return trip instead of taking a break for a sleep. They told us of time requirements like one for 30 hours to cover 3,000 kms when the maximum legal truck speed was 90 k/ph. This average of 100 k/ph was through towns (60K limit), up hills, around corners, toilet and rest breaks included.

Whilst many trucks are still driven unsafely and most in NSW at least break the speed laws most of the time, we have seen a great improvement in what trucking companies require of drivers and in the government's monitoring of trucks.
<< Back to list

Rail and Lane Cove River

When a railway bridge was set to be built over the beautiful and popular Lane Cove National Park in Sydney, a favourite weekend picnic spot, some voters organisations phoned FairGO for assistance in their campaign to prevent it. We arranged for them to explain to politicians in some detail why the bridge was a bad idea and what alternatives were available. As a result of everyone's efforts, the rail line now tunnels under the river, retaining the beauty of this area.
<< Back to list

Overcrowding Sydney

Voters campaigned against a government policy designed to turn Sydney into another New York. As if it could have been, even if the people wanted it, but they didn't. The real estate speculators and developers wanted it and paid big money into political party campaign funds to get it. Eventually the government is coming to see that it cannot provide essential services and effective transport for the existing population let alone one 50% larger. Gradually and grudgingly it has moved a little towards development of the whole state instead of only Sydney.  This will relieve Sydneysiders of shocking overcrowding and give rural and regional New South Wales a much needed boost in roads, educational, health and cultural services. With housing and commercial premises costing a tenth or less outside Sydney opportunities abound. Few who move to live in regional or rural NSW ever want to return to Sydney. The battle is far from over, but progress so far has been encouraging.
<< Back to list

School Buildings

Parents at a small town school near Orange in the NSW Central West had had enough of stinking hot classrooms for their children whilst public servants and politicians enjoyed climate controlled offices. They phoned FairGO and asked if we could help get some improvement to the temporary classrooms in which their primary aged children were expected to learn the basics before going on to High School.

FairGO worked with the parents to send messages to all politicians telling them of the problem. FairGO helped parents with wording of messages. Then FairGO suggested that the children might also want to let politicians know what it was like in their classrooms during the hot February months at the start of each school year. The children were wonderful, writing brief stories of sweat trickling down their backs and off their foreheads as they tried to do arithmetic. In no time at all, the politicians had persuaded the government to install airconditioning. The children and parents remembered FairGO's rule "always say thank you". They sent in very appreciative Votergrams.

When they needed a new school hall a few years later, they came to FairGO again and it was under way in no time after we had helped them carry their request to politicians.

The Honorary Secretary of the P & C wrote:
"Dear Mr. Bloomfield, I am writing for the P & C to thank you for your ongoing effort in lobbying politicians on our behalf. We have recently received notification that the first stage of our new school building has been funded and is due to commence very shortly. We are sure this has a lot to do with the Votergrams you sent for us. If ever we need this type of assistance again we will be sure to contact you."  M.W. Hon Sec.
<< Back to list

Apple imports

When the importation of foreign apples and pears threatened the Australian industry, producers approached FairGO. They ran a successful campaign with FairGO to keep the imports out so that the industry could continue supplying fruit free of diseases brought in from overseas.

Some types of campaigns cannot deliver a permanent "win". What government decides today can be reversed tomorrow. Hence the saying that "the price of democracy is eternal vigilance". Unfortunately, when producers were next faced with the same problem of imported fruit, they forgot about FairGO and fought their campaign without FairGO's help.
<< Back to list

Mental health services

In 2002, Alecia was well enough to start weekend home visits with her husband and children, preparatory to moving back home after successful treatment for a mental illness. However, incredibly, she was told that her hospital bed might not be available when she returned at the end of the weekend. The hospital assured her that she would be given another bed in some hospital, though it might be hundreds of kilometres away. You can imagine how unsettling that was to someone coming through the trauma of a mental illness. Her mother phoned FairGO and we helped her campaign. She explained to politicians that it was better to keep the bed empty over the weekend with the goal of having it permanently empty of this patient and available for someone else, than to keep this patient in it all weekend with little hope of her ever moving home. Eventually politicians persuaded the hospital to see sense and the bed was kept for her. Then she soon moved back home permanently, freeing up her bed.

More on mental health

Melanie was refused hospital treatment despite being well known to Police and taking very anti-social action like setting fire to a building - only because she was sick and needed psychiatric care. Her mother phoned FairGO after going onto a radio talk-back show and having another person phone in and suggest that she contact us. The mother campaigned with FairGO to get proper hospital treatment for her daughter, which we got. That was followed by rehabilitation. Sadly from that point on there were few avenues though which the government would assist. In NSW many mentally ill people have swapped hospital institutionalisation for prison institutionalisation or life sleeping on the streets as a result of negligent government policies. Next Christmas her mother wrote:

"Wishing you a very merry Christmas and all good things for the New Year!! Thank you for all your support throughout the year!!" Ruth.
<< Back to list

Disability services

When Leith approached FairGO to publicise the booklet "Who cares", we arranged to help her send a Votergram to politicians asking them to read it and do what they could to help. Within 45 minutes of us sending the Votergram by email, she received a response advising that the Shadow Minister had done just what she wanted.
<< Back to list

Disability funding disputes

One of the directors of a home for severely mentally and physically disabled children phoned FairGO. He said extra government funding to the home to cover a SACS award pay increase for staff was being refused by the governments, federal and state. The home faced closure as directors could not take personal responsibility for debts incurred as the law would require if they traded when insolvent. FairGO Director Greg Bloomfield met with directors who said that industry bodies had tried to get the funding, but had failed. The situation was desperate. FairGO took on the job of running a campaign to convince the government to provide the increased funding to cover staff salaries. It worked with executives and parents to help politicians fully understand the work that was being done and the sheer impossibility of some of the children returning home. An example was the 80 year old widow whose mentally disabled son was in his 60's. Politicians now understood what the home did and it was not what they had thought, if they had thought about it at all.

Then Greg studied the legal agreement between the state and federal governments. It did not take him long to discover which government was legally responsible for funding the increase. The "children" were just being used ruthlessly as pawns in a power struggle between parliaments. When FairGO sent a Votergram into parliament revealing which politicians were responsible for the funding, it was provided very quickly. In fact, due to FairGO strategies, the government paid a bit more than they might otherwise have done. This success flowed on to many homes in NSW, assisting hundreds of families. One parent wrote to FairGO from the North Coast:

"Thank you for your great help regarding funding for the school." Jan Wiles.
<< Back to list

Disability care across state borders

Bill, aged 27, has cerebral palsy. A great mind and bad body. He bitterly resented being cared for in every detail by his parents. It was humiliating. The only thing he could do was behave badly, which he did with great vigour. Devastated, his parents eventually phoned FairGO for help. For years they had tried to get him accommodation in the neighbouring state, where his church friends and peers lived and met.

Because he lived in a country town just outside the border of that state, its Government would not give him a funded place in its nearby capital city. However, because the accommodation was in the that state, his own state Government would not pay for his funding either.

It took some months, but eventually, working together, we persuaded the governments to come to an agreement. He was then given suitable accommodation where he was happy. This has also created a sensible precedent for cross-border disability funding in Australia. His father wrote:

"Hi Greg, Bill is being looked after well in his present accommodation, so thanks for all your help." Neville.

He wrote again next Christmas:
"Thank you for everything you have done for us. Bill is going OK and comes home every second weekend." Neville.
<< Back to list

Hospital closures

When the Government proposed to close hospitals in Sydney's North, worried residents phoned FairGO to help with their campaign to keep them open. The campaign was not very long but they have stayed open!
<< Back to list

Anti-community Council

When a Sydney council continued to work against its residents and give their recreation facilities to a single interest sporting group to the detriment of family use at weekends, residents phoned FairGO. Over a period of several years FairGO studied the council and what it was doing. When issues arose that would be of interest, it arranged for them to be drawn to the attention of state parliamentarians. Over time we called for more drastic intervention by government in the council's operations. Eventually the council was replaced by an administrator and residents phoned to say how happy they were at the change. In the course of this campaign, FairGO conducted a number of community consultations and conducted workshops to train community members in political campaigning.

One participant wrote:
"Hi Greg, Congratulations and thanks for the great workshop last night. I think it went very well. The important thing from here will be to show the path forward from last night to move towards some of the goals identified… Our group is enormously grateful for all the help and support you have provided. It's been not only hugely beneficial for our cause but I, and I am sure everyone else, have learned a lot along the way. Cheers." Dot
<< Back to list

Bankers behaving badly

After banks were de-regulated in the mid 1980s, bankers went on a "selling spree". They sold loans to borrowers who had no hope at all of servicing or repaying their loans. Many borrowers contacted us. In one case a bank loaned millions to a borrower with a maximum annual income over the past 10 years of $32,000. The loan required loan repayments and interest of $132,000 p.a. of which there was not the slightest chance in the world. FairGO campaigned in Parliament on behalf of these borrowers, several of whose children committed suicide under pressure from the banks. Eventually by explaining to politicians what banks were really doing - systematically transferring the borrowers' assets to the bank - FairGO had politicians apply enough pressure to banks to have them change many of their predatory tactics. We also had them write off millions of dollars in debts where they had acted illegally, which was often the case.
<< Back to list

Unwanted Marina

When residents of Pittwater were faced with an unwanted extension to a marina, one resident phoned FairGO when it seemed that authorities were not much interested in the views of residents. FairGO helped her with a campaign. When FairGO later enquired as to how the campaign was going, it received this letter from the lady who had made the initial approach to FairGO:

"Re: the outcome of our campaign regarding the proposed marina extension-We won!!!!! Votergrams proved to be quite successful as far as replies from various members of parliament. I would have received about thirty letters I suppose. I believe the flack our local member received caused him some embarrassment. Thank you for your assistance." Beryl Soames
<< Back to list

Government bus injury claim

One day a legal firm phoned FairGO saying that it had heard of FairGO and wondered if we could help. A lady client of theirs had been injured by a bus in Australia's national capital, Canberra. Her modest claim was restricted to actual medical expenses, but the Government absolutely refused to pay. It took just one Votergram, informing all MPs of this government  obstruction for the woman to receive her payment immediately.
<< Back to list

Riparian water rights

A lady from a farm in Southern Queensland, Australia, phoned FairGO to say that an upstream neighbour had built a huge dam that had taken all the water out of their local stream, killing thousands of sheep from thirst. The Queensland Minister had legislation on the books which only needed to be proclaimed, but he would not do that. Could we help?

Sure we could. We arranged for her and some of her neighbours to send Votergrams into the Queensland Parliament explaining the situation and asking MPs to have the minister proclaim the law. Within a very short time, the Minister had done what we wanted and water was flowing again.
<< Back to list

Serious violent crime sentencing

Australians were becoming annoyed at judges and governments which seemed to actually encourage crime through lenient sentences and early releases. In 2,000 a campaign was begun through FairGO to ensure that "Life imprisonment" for murder really would mean imprisonment for life. At the same time more appropriate penalties were sought for rape on the basis that they should reflect the suffering caused to the victims and the need to ensure that such behaviour was not repeated by the same offenders.

Happily "Life imprisonment" now does more nearly mean that an offender stays in gaol for life. In addition, sentences given by judges have been lengthened for both murder and rape to provide a greater measure of protection for the community and specific potential victims. A recent rape sentence was 55 years, though the victim still suffers longer.
<< Back to list

Milk pricing

Dairy farmers do not earn big money in Australia. A group of NSW dairy farmers phoned FairGO. It had been trying to get the government to allow a 10c per litre increase in the regulated price of milk, but the government would not do so, despite a long and intensive campaign. Many farmers were close to selling their milk at a loss, let alone making any profit to feed and clothe their families. Someone had told them to "Phone FairGO". We arranged for and assisted a small number of dairy farmers to explain their predicament to politicians and within a couple of months the government allowed the price rise, saving dairies from bankruptcy. The industry has now been de-regulated.
<< Back to list

Unfair airline policy

A young couple of modest means booked a return flight for their family of five on a major international airline one month early to get cheap tickets. Two days after booking they realised they had made the booking for one week later than it should have been. They could not vary the dates of their holidays, so they contacted the airline and explained the situation. They re-booked new tickets which cost 50% more than the original ones because the booking was not far enough in advance. That was fair enough. However, the airline refused to make any refund in respect of the original (cheaper) tickets which had been cancelled exactly one month before the flights took place. When the couple phoned FairGO, we knew that the airline would have sold those seats to other passengers and thus been paid twice for them.

FairGO helped the young couple explain this and their plight persuasively to over 200 Federal Politicians simultaneously. Wonder of wonders - they promptly received a refund from the airline.
<< Back to list

Smoke free airline travel

When the dangers of passive smoking were just being recognised, a large health organisation phoned FairGO to help outlaw smoking on commercial passenger aeroplanes. It was a difficult issue breaking very new ground. However, by working with the organisation, FairGO helped it to persuade governments that smoking on airlines was not healthy or constructive, so it was banned. This has made flying far more pleasant for non-smokers and far more healthy for all travellers.
<< Back to list

Pharmacy exit strategies

When Australian pharmacists were trying to persuade the Federal Government to assist in a restructuring of the industry  to remove over-capacity and assist with efficient handling of national health services, they approached FairGO through a national association. FairGO then managed a political information campaign which ran for some months and resulted in pharmacists obtaining what they wanted in terms of a specific, government backed, exit strategy for pharmacists. It enabled the industry  to be effectively rationalised and become more profitable and, from a Government perspective, more effective.
<< Back to list

ID card for Australians

When Australians were faced with the prospect of having to carry an ID card through which government could monitor their every movements and perhaps leak that information to commercial or criminal interests, they hammered on FairGO's doors to send Votergrams into parliament. FairGO put on extra staff and executives worked from 4.30 am to 11 pm for weeks sending fruit boxes full of Votergrams into Parliament every day. Parliament House contacted FairGO to ask how long the campaign would run, as four security officers had been diverted to handling and sorting the Votergrams. We replied "as long as it takes to win" and offered to have our computers sort future messages once the ID campaign was over. When Senator John Stone found a flaw in the legislation, politicians were pleased to drop the ID card idea immediately. FairGO then re-programmed its computers to sort all future Votergrams for the Parliament House Post Office, making the job easier for its staff. In passing, we acknowledge the enormous assistance we have received over the years from parliamentary staff in building better communications between politicians and voters.
<< Back to list