NMAP Launched, Mothers March to Qld Health
24 September 2002 - Report sent by launch manager Su Foster to the National NMAP committee

BRISBANE - Over 300 supporters of the National Maternity Action Plan attended last Tuesday's official Queensland launch at King George Square.

Dear everyone

We had a great day in Brisbane yesterday - beautiful weather and an excellent turnout of around 300, plus quite a few passers by who joined in spontaneously.

We had balloons for the kids with "Push for Birth Reform" and the website printed on them and we had heaps of placards saying things like:

"Women want to know their midwife"

"Women want choice in birth care"

"Listen to the women"

"Birth is women's business, not big business"

and my favourite:

"Not happy Wendy!" (Wendy is our health minister)

We had very inspirational speakers who had the crowd cheering and clapping and a beautiful performance from Barb Fordham singing.

We even had an impromptu speaker - a midwife from the UK who had only been in the country for a day and stumbled across us and got on the mic with some encouraging words.

Prior to the event we had been trying to get someone from Qld Health to come down and receive the NMAP document, but no-one would come and when the crowd were told this there was lots of booing and hissing.

Then Nicole Chegwyn, soon-to-be mother of two, got up waving the document in the air and said she was going to take the thing down to Qld Health and deliver it to Wendy herself.

The feeling in the crowd was so great that nearly everybody else followed her!

So at peak hour lunch time, we had 40 plus prams parading through the city to the health building, where they gathered outside and struck up a chant.

Inge Light, homebirth mum and QLd Greens member went inside and sat down and insisted she was not leaving until someone came from QLD Health to speak to her.

During all this the police were called in (oh those dangerous mums and babies - better bring in the boys in blue!) - who were actually very nice about the whole thing and said we should have got a permit etc, but who could predict so many mums would spontaneously march through the city?

Eventually a QLD Health Officer came down and had a good debate with Inge.

Media coverage was very good. On Monday and Tuesday, we had been on Brisbane local ABC radio, with an interview and as a talk back topic. 

On the day, we had good coverage by Channel 9 (the best), which is good because apparently Peter Beattie watches Channel 9, and Channel 7 (got a few facts wrong) and also articles in the Courier Mail (State daily) and the City News (Brisbane weekly tabloid).

There's an article upcoming in the QLD Independent and we'll be on ABC's Stateline on Friday night.

We've also had a lot of letters from mums published in the Courier Mail everyday this week.

Yay!

Su Foster
Qld Launch Manager