Urgent Media Release - Fairdinkum Radio

Australian thought-police target free speech

11.7.12 Australian health authorities have launched an attack on radio host Leon Pittard after a guest on his Fair Dinkum Radio Show revealed the extent to which authorities are restricting free speech when it comes to public discussions of natural medicines. The story began when Mr Pittard posted an article and a pod cast entitled Australian governments attack on health freedom, which featured an interview between the radio host and Meryl Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network. During the interview, Ms Dorey referred to 'Black Salve', a cream that has been banned by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australian version of the FDA). Her exact words were: ...Now, Ive used it myself on a cancer that I had on my shoulder. Ive got to tell you, it is like a scalpel, it cut it out in a perfect circle. And it got rid of it completely. So, the Australian government several years ago banned the use of black salve on humans and you could only buy it for animals..1. It is this reference to the banned cream that has prompted the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to refer the matter to their Complaints Resolution Panel, after allegedly receiving a 14 page complaint from an unidentified source, detailing alleged breaches of the Advertising Code. The complaint alleges that Meryl Dorey has advertised and promoted Black Salve and that Leon Pittard has further promoted and advertised 'Black Salve' by publishing the interview. 2. Mr Pittard is now required to answer the TGAs complaint after airing the interview with Ms Dorey. The agency has given him two weeks to respond to allegations of advertising, even though he has no advertisers and features no advertisements on his radio, but merely discusses issues related to health, politics and freedom of speech. Activists have been concerned about the TGAs misuse of wide ranging powers since 2003 when the agency shut down a large sector of the Australian complementary medicine industry, losing 1000 jobs and $450 million in revenue after shutting down and bankrupting complementary medicine manufacturer Pan Pharmaceuticals. Since then, legal actions against the TGA have been successfully launched totalling $122.5 million dollars in damages after the regulator overstepped its authority in the Pan debacle. 3. Mr Pittard is concerned about Government interference in the flow of information and the TGAs track record and in particular, the enormous fines it imposes, seemingly arbitrarily and without due process. If they can destroy an industry overnight, they can shut down anybody who wants to discuss the way they do business, he says. And its no secret that some regulating agencies of Government go after people for telling the truth, they are threatened by information flow he adds, referring to Ms Dorey, whose Australian Vaccination Network has been plagued by a flood of complaints and legal proceedings over the past several years. Ms Dorey has just won a Supreme Court case against one of the complainants, the HCCC, when the commission pursued her for releasing information about vaccinations to the general public. This case raises the question of freedom of speech in the media and whether or not an individual has the right to discuss health issues - that are of public interest to Australians - without harassment and intimidation by authorities. 4. In less than two weeks, this case will reveal how much free speech is left in Australia. Media contact: Leon Pittard 0427927383

1. Original transcript - http://fairdinkumradio.com/?q=node/89

2. CRP complaint - http://fairdinkumradio.com/?q=node/101

3. http://www.pharmacies.com.au/news/2011/3/26/pan-bungle-cost-tops-122m/
4. http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/brandis_on_the_labor_menace _to_free_speech/