Our Story
Prominent science journalist Peter Bowditch has been campaigning against the AVN since 1996 but it was not until 2009, when Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) supporters harassed a grieving family and AVN President Ms Meryl Dorey demanded the baby’s medical records from the Health Service that “Stop the Australian Vaccination Network” or SAVN, was founded.
SAVN was founded as “Stop the Australian Vaccination Network” in May 2009 by concerned members of the public, when that harassment of grieving parents was revealed. We were also deeply concerned by the misinformation given out by AVN President Ms Meryl Dorey on TV and on the internet. SAVN’s campaign began with the first complaint to the HCCC in July 2009, the first complaint to the NSW Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing soon after, and a protest to the Australian Taxation Office about the AVN’s application for Tax-Deductible Gift Recipient status. (The ATO rejected their application.)
SAVN morphed into “Stop the Australian (Anti-) Vaccination Network” (still “SAVN”), as a grass - roots lobby group formed around a page which is administered by 30 people with varied experience including scientists, GPs, medical specialists, epidemiologists, lawyers, nurses, allied health professionals, teachers and retirees. Over time, as the influence of the AVN waned, SAVN broadened its activities to campaign against other anti-vaccine cranks, such as those found within the ranks of chiropractors, midwives, homeopaths, and naturopaths. Indeed we were surprised to discover the extent of anti-vaccine activities in the chiropractic industry and the extent of chiropractic membership and influence in the AVN.
In 2014, after lobbying of the NSW Government by SAVN, the Australian Vaccination Network was forced to change its name, to the ‘Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network.’
SAVN now has over 17,000 followers all over the world, and has offshoots in NZ and Indonesia. A large portion of SAVN contributors comprises doctors, nurses, and scientists with qualifications relevant to vaccination and science literacy and of course concerned parents and grandparents. SAVN's strategy from the beginning is to show that the AVN and other cranks are unqualified to provide medical advice, to challenge them in the media where they were previously unchallenged, and draw the attention of the media, politicians and regulators to their activities.
Some of the major achievements flowing from our activities are:
- The Australian Tax Office refused the AVN’s application for Deductible Gift Recipient status.
- The NSW Government cancelled the AVN’s Charitable Fundraising Authority.
- The NSW Parliament passed an amendment to the Association Incorporation Regulations that allows the Minister to disallow a deceptive name of an Association. The NSW Minister for Fair Trading then instructed the AVN to change its name or face deregistration. The AVN appealed to the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal and lost. (http://tinyurl.com/n3cyr2a). They changed their name to ‘Australian Vaccination - Skeptics Network’ in February 2014, under protest.
- An investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority into the broadcast by WIN TV of Meryl Dorey’s untrue claims against vaccines found against Meryl Dorey and the TV network concerned. (http://tinyurl.com/k3ny6z7)
- A Media Watch broadcast criticised WIN TV News for using Meryl Dorey as above, and blasted the entire concept of ‘False Balance.’ (http://tinyurl.com/8egjr5c)
- The Minister for Fair Trading instigated an investigation into the AVN, which led to the regulatory actions mentioned here.
- The AVN and Meryl Dorey have lost in a string of investigations and court cases . (http://tinyurl.com/lm4puv9)
- The NSW Govt amended the Health Care Complaints Act to overcome a loophole in the legislation and allow the HCCC to investigate unregistered health care practitioners without a specific complaint from a patient. By agreement among the Coalition of Australian Government Health Ministers, all State and Territory governments are amending their legislation to the same effect.
- An ABC Catalyst program exposed anti-vaccine chiropractors, see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7g93V6tw_g.
- At the Woodford Folk Festival in New Year 2012, SAVN hired an aeroplane to tow an advertising banner displaying “Vaccinations Save Lives” over the festival on two occasions when Ms Dorey was due to speak at seminars. It gave us wonderful publicity and the Festival did not invite Ms Dorey again.
- Withdrawal of links to the AVN in an Australian Midwifery textbook, credit should to Friends of Science in Medicine.
- Withdrawal of promotion of AVN seminars issued by the Australian College of Midwives
- Release of correspondence between the AVN and the Office of Fair Trading, and the loss of the AVN’s appeal to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal.
- Cancellation of two AVN seminars, Adelaide and Perth, due to SAVN alerting property managers to the nature of the AVN.
- Withdrawal of the anti-vaccine film 'Vaxxed' from the Castlemaine Local and International Film Festival programme.
- Discovery that many AVN publications breached copyright. They were withdrawn from sale after copyright owners were alerted and adverse articles appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. (http://tinyurl.com/29n7bke)
- The media have taken to referring to the AVN, Ms Dorey and other cranks as ‘anti-vaccine’ ‘nutjobs.’
- The Health Care Complaints Commission issued a Public Warning about the AVSN. (http://tinyurl.com/ln5h39k)
- Following a string of complaints from SAVN to the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission and NSW Government Ministers, the NSW Parliament began a Parliamentary Inquiry into misleading health advice. Thanks to Ms Dorey and the AVN, all cranks and charlatans such as homeopaths and naturopaths have been subjected to parliamentary scrutiny and the outcome is likely to be more stringent legislation against them. (http://tinyurl.com/lddnw77)
- Following an announcement by anti-vaccination campaigner Stephanie Messenger that she, or rather her ‘organisations’ the ‘Get Rid of SIDS Project Inc’ and the ‘GanKinMan Foundation’ were about to host an Australian tour of American anti-vaccination campaigner Dr Sheri Tenpenny, SAVN began a national campaign to prevent that. After alerting venue operators to the Messenger’s deceit in how she presented the seminars, all bookings were cancelled, and her tour was then cancelled.
- Following years of lobbying against so-called ‘conscientious and religious exemptions’ from vaccination requirements for social security payments, the Federal Govt announced in April 2015 that these exemptions ceased in 2016. By agreement among the Coalition of Australian Government Health Ministers, all State and Territory governments are amending their legislation concerning schools and child-minding centres to the same effect.
- As part of the above, the Federal government introduced a ‘No Vax = No Pay’ regime into Family Tax Benefits. Most of the credit here must go to several News Corp journalists.
- By agreement among the Coalition of Australian Government Health Ministers, all State and Territory governments are amending their legislation concerning child-minding centres and schools to introduce ‘No Jab = No Play’ rules.
- In March 2013 the Chiropractic Board of Australia issued a public statement supporting vaccination and saying that they expected chiropractors to support evidence-based medicine.
- In August 2013 The Chiropractic Board of Australia announced in a media release that it ‘is cracking down on chiropractors who step outside their primary role as healthcare practitioners and provide treatment that puts the public at risk’ and “has ordered practitioners to remove all anti-vaccination material from their websites and clinics, removed several courses from the list of approved CPD programs, and introduced random audits of practitioner compliance with the Board’s registration standards.” (Ms Dorey had presented anti-vaccination lectures which were accredited by the Board as suitable for obtaining CPD points.)
- On 12 October 2016 the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Board issued their "Position Statement on Vaccination' strongly supporting the science and stating that 'The NMBA expects all registered nurses, enrolled nurses and midwives to use the best available evidence in making practice decisions.'
- In December 2016 the NSW Minister for Fair Trading announced a new Ministerial Inquiry into certain fund-raising activities on the AVN.
- In February 2017 the Chiropractors Association of Australia issued a public statement disassociating themselves from the AVN.
- An analysis of our achievements was presented as a poster at the 2014 National Immunisation Conference. See http://tinyurl.com/qxwbc94 .
- In August 2017 the Council of Australian Government Health Ministers, (Commonwealth, State and Territory), came out strongly against the travelling anti-vax film 'Vaxxed', with Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt condemning the movie and its anti-vaccination message as being based on unscientific conspiracy theories. The movie's producer was intercepted by the Australian Border Force while leaving Australia and was informed that she was prohibited from entering Australia for the next three years.
- US- based anti-vaccine activists Polly Tommey, Suzanne Humphries, and Kent Heckenlively have been told that they will be denied entry to Australia.
- Commonwealth Health Minister Greg Hunt MP is approaching Australian leaders of social media outlets to ask them to take all steps to ensure that dangerous messages about immunisation are not published. https://www.facebook.com/SkyNewsAustralia/videos/10155326621036728/?fref=mentions
For proof that the former President and former Public Officer of the AVN, Ms Meryl Dorey, lies and defrauds shamelessly, go to http://tinyurl.com/lbfbsxg
For evidence that some chiropractors, nurses and midwives are deeply involved in anti-vaccine activities, and that anti-vaccine cranks are unethical, see http://reasonablehank.com/
SAVN is not an Incorporated Association, is not formally affiliated with any other organisation, and has never received any financial support from any source.
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Vaccination-Skeptics_Network
