UPDATE: The New Australian Government Review of Natural Therapies

Further to my blog post of 3rd Feb
"Ensuring the Healthy Sustainable Future of Complimentary and Alternative Therapies Beyond April 1st" [1]:

In brilliant news for the Holistic Health World this week, The Minister for Health, The Hon Greg Hunt MP, announced on the 7th April that, from mid 2019, the Australian Government will commission an updated review of certain natural therapies, including a five year update to its previous 2014-15 review of natural therapies and that the Government will be investing up to $2 million to support this new review. [2]

This comes following, what Spokesperson Ms Petrina Reichman of Australia’s largest consumer driven campaign advocating for healthcare choice, Your Health, Your Choice, called this week "pressure from the 13,323 Australians that personally wrote to Minister Hunt and Liberal National Party MPs and Senators since February this year, in addition to thousands of others that wrote to Minister Hunt after the policy (calling for the removal of private health cover funding from 17 Natural Therapies on April 1st) became law in September 2018.” As well as being due to "other groups and experts who have also presented the Government with up to date research demonstrating effectiveness for many of the affected therapies' that were set to have funding removed. [3]

While Independent MP Kerryn Phelps may well have a point in that this is a very well timed move pre-election, i'm not sure about you, but i couldn't help but be thrilled to bits this weekend, that we've had this little victory for the Industry and the people of Australia.

Plus be crazy grateful, thinking of the several thousand Health and Holistic Professionals i've worked with this last several years, for the amazing outcomes that unfold in the world when we all band together for positive change. WHOO HOO! 

That now gives those of you/us in Wellness until 2020 to get down to it and work together, compiling even more data on exactly how and why what we do, works as well as it does, and to make sure we get it on the table of that review, on behalf of the 2/3rds of Australians and 80% of the world who are already actively accessing Complimentary and Alternative Medicines or Herbal Medicines and need us to go next level now on having their backs.

May you have a wonderful week this week knowing that your voice, the unique spark of universal brilliance that you are and all that you do in your work, really does make an awesome difference in the world.

Until next time, have fun, take care


Nat xx
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References

[1] Ensuring the Healthy Sustainable Future of Natural Therapies beyond April 1st, 3rd Feb 2019
http://www.natalieferrier.com.au/blog/ensuring-the-healthy-sustainable-future-of-complimentary-and-alternative-therapies-beyond-april-1st

[2] The Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health Media Hub, Review of Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance, 7th April 2019 
https://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2019-hunt120.htm

[3] Your Health Your Choice, BREAKING: $2mil pledged to update natural therapy reviews, 8th April 2019
https://www.yourhealthyourchoice.com.au/news-features/breaking-2mil-pledged-to-update-natural-therapy-reviews/?fbclid=IwAR0gLmcf7mDlOlMDHqB9wHiKKIh4_atAvv1MmRObB6pTS0D6kIHNXPN78KE